Pretty Boy
by Fishnet2
Summary: The third yrs of the Seigaku tennis team have graduated. They've gone on their separate ways in high school and where Fuji's heading, he's going to cook up a storm. Together with a national tennis champion, Aiko, who crossdresses as a guy because she's bo
1. Chapter 1: Where is Fuji?

-1**Pretty Boy**

**Chapter 1: Where is Fuji?**

"TE-ZU-KA-SAN!!"

A loud and cheerful voice calls out amidst excited chit chat and laughter among students as they head towards a big white block of a building.

A certain bespectacled green-haired boy turns his head around to catch a familiar face smiling at him. Wait, make that two familiar faces as the second one is blushing in embarrassment while trying to stop the hyperactive one from attracting too much attention with his hollering.

Tezuka resists the urge to smile. He can't risk ruining his poker face reputation on his first day of school. He waits patiently as his two old friends catch up to him.

"Yay, Tezuka-san! Starting today, we'll be studying in the same high school! Yay! Yay! Yay!" exclaims Kikumaru Eiji aloud causing some people to stare at him wondering if he had an overdose of sugar or caffeine early that morning. "Eiji, you really should keep your voice down," says an embarrassed Oishi as he covers his eyes with his palm.

"Nani-yo, Oishi? Aren't you happy that we are studying in the same high school as Tezuka-san?" asks Eiji in his ordinary loud voice. "Yes, of course I am, but that doesn't mean that the whole school has to know about it," sighs Oishi.

"It's alright, Oishi. It's been quite some time since we've seen each other after all," says Tezuka cooly. "Yup, yup! And from now on, we'll be high school students! Haha! We're not little kids anymore!" exclaims Eiji as he pumps his right fist into the air.

'No matter how old he is, he'll always be a kid,' thinks Oishi exasperatedly as he observes his best friend's energetic antics.

"Ah, right, Tezuka-san, where are the others studying at?" asks Oishi seriously. Since they've graduated from Seigaku Junior High School, they've all gone on their separate ways.

"Hmm... From what I know, Inui has moved to Kyoto while Kawamura is studying at Gyoken High School," replies Tezuka.

"Ah... Saa-ne. What about Fuji-san?" asks Oishi as he tries to avoid bumping into Eiji who is busy jumping around and clapping while chanting "We're in high school now!" in accordance to some famous nursery rhyme tune.

"Fuji... Ah, I wonder where he is too..." says Tezuka with a slight smile on his cold face.

---

Yamashita High School.

It's not a very famous school around the prefecture but it's still pretty alright. The school is very supportive when it comes to basketball, volleyball and shoji. There is a tennis team but so far, nobody's heard much about its tennis team except for the fact that their coach used to be a national player, which raises many eyebrows for despite having a national player as a coach, the players are not producing any creditable results.

A fair-skinned boy with light brown hair steps towards the school's metal gates and looks up at the grey school building. 'This is where I'll be studying in from now on,' he thinks. He then follows the crowd and steps into his new school. Little does he know, the tennis prodigy's presence in this school is about to bring about some interesting events to occur.

---

"Take care, Aiko! And don't forget to act tough and be tough! Remember the things I taught you, you hear? So go out there and be a man!" says a rough gruffy voice coming from a skinny and bald old man. A young teen standing in front of him in a typical boys' school uniform hisses dangerously, "Talk louder granpa and you'll blow my cover."

"Right, right. I forgot now, Aikawa-kun!" laughs the old man in his usual loud tone as he pats the young teen's shoulder a few times a little too hard. "Hohohoho," he laughs as though he's just heard a very funny joke.

"Run along now, Aikawa-kun! And don't get caught!" says the old man as he waves his granddaughter goodbye. "Shut up, you noisy old man! And you better take care!" yells the young teen as she runs across the school gate just in the nick of time. The bell rings, signifying the start to a new beginning.

---

"Alright everyone, settle down," says a bespectacled young woman with long brown hair tied into a ponytail. She walks up to front of the blackboard with a broad grin. 'She looks friendly,' thinks Fuji as he settles down at the back of the class. Noise becomes silence as every single one of the 16-year-olds in Class 1A sits up straight at their desks and pays attention to the smiling woman in front of them.

"BAM!"

Their silence is interrupted by the door slamming open. A small figure dressed in a typical white shirt, green and red striped tie, grey trousers and black blazer stands at the doorway, panting as he clutches his knees. "Sorry, I'm late. I lost my way," the boys says as he looks up at the young teacher with his odd greyish blue eyes. He pushes back his short ebony hair and glances around the classroom with a serious look on his face. 'Ah... another Tezuka-buchou,' thinks Fuji amused.

However, his serious expression changes quickly into pain when he feels a sharp pain on his head. "Itai--!" he exclaims while clutching his head. His teacher has just hit him on the head with a rolled-up magazine she conjured up out of nowhere.

"First day of school and you're late. Go grab a seat you worthless scum!" scolds the teacher in a threatening voice. The students seat up a little straigher, some with sweat dripping down the sides of their faces. They know that this seemingly harmless teacher is not one to be trifled with.

Aiko rubs her head as she makes her way to the back of the class and props herself onto a chair next to that of a boy with light brown hair and startling blue eyes. 'Ah, a pretty boy,' she thinks to herself. 'I hate pretty boys.'

On her left, a rather pretty girl eyes her and upon catching her eye, she winks at her and smiles a broad grin. 'Oh no! First day as a guy and I attract girls?' thinks Aiko in dismay. 'I never thought that I had it in me to be a hot guy. Hmmm... not bad, not bad.'

"Alright, now that we've gotten rid of that annoying interruption ('annoying... interruption?' Aiko feels as though she's been stabbed by the blunt spear of insults), I think we should start with introductions since you don't know me, I don't know you, we don't know no one and all. So alright, I'll start with myself, of course, since I'm your class teacher. You can call me Marina sensei and... I'm your class teacher. Okay next!" she says flamboyantly as though she's bored of everything which is going on.

A boy sitting at the front of the class raises his hand uncertainly and asks, "Um.. sensei, is that all you have to say about yourself?"

"You got a problem with that, punk? Are you trying to woo me? Huh? I may look young and beautiful but I don't dig small kids, you hear?" snaps Marina sensei with a pair of mess-with-me-and-i'll-drag-you-around-the-neighbourhood-with-my-motorbike eyes.

"Ah.. ha-hai, sensei!" says the boy who looks so afraid he might just pee in his pants.

'The teachers here are tough,' thinks Fuji. 'Perhaps they need to be tough to handle their students. I wonder what kind of students study here. This is interesting...'

"Alright, I want each of you to introduce yourself now. State your name, previous school, hobby, likes and dislikes or whatever else you might want to add. Okay, starting with you shorty braces boy," says Marina sensei as she points at a scrawny looking boy at the front left row.

'Great. Introductions,' thinks Aiko. 'Hi, I'm Aikawa but I'm actually Aiko and yes that's a girls' name. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some cross-dresser who has nothing better to do. You see, I am sick of becoming the girls' national tennis champion for four times in a row only to lose in the first round in every single one of the international junior tournaments I have ever joined. Honestly, is Japanese tennis that lousy? Huh? Alright, don't answer that. Anyways, my granpa had this brilliant idea which involves me cross-dressing as a guy so that I can enter the boys' tennis team and get some good decent sparring cause you all know that boys are _always _better than girls, right?'

'What an interesting introduction. My classmates would love me, no?' Aiko chuckles to herself attracting the stare of her smiling neighbour. That smile. How irritating. How she wishes to rip it off his pretty boy face.

At this moment, her pretty boy faced neighbour stands up and introduces himself, "Hello, everyone. I am Fuji Syusuke. I was previously from Seigaku Junior High School. I like playing tennis and planting cacti. My dislike... hmmm.. saa... I don't seem to dislike anything." The girls look at him as though he's a god. Aiko is utterly disgusted with their love-shaped eyes and starstruck gazes.

'I hate pretty boys. Fuji Syusuke. That name does ring a bell. Seigaku Junior High School. Now where have I came across that name before?' she ponders.

"Psst.."

Seigaku Junior High School. Hmm...

"Psst.."

That's it. Aiko can't take it any more.

"Stop disturbing me while I'm pondering!" she bellows as she looks up only to see a duster flying at her direction. It's too late for her to dodge so it lands directly on her face. The duster falls off and she is left with a white rectangular imprint on her face. The class erupts into laughter.

"I tried to tell you that it's your turn to speak but you seem to be deep in thought," says her oh-i'm-so-pretty neighbour as he smiles his trademark smile at her. 'I bet he's laughing underneath that smiling mask of his. Taunting me now, is he? He'd better watch out!' thinks Aiko as she conjures up many torture ideas involving her lovely neighbour writhing in pain in her sick twisted mind.

But first things first, she doesn't want another duster flying in her direction now, does she?

"Yo. My name is Aiko-Aikawa Wataru and I just moved here from Osaka. I like tennis and I dislike having a duster thrown at my face. That's all I have to say, thank you," she says as she retakes her seat amidst another eruption of laughter from her classmates.

'Great, just great,' she thinks.

Suddenly, she sees something white in front of her eyes. No, not another duster. A tissue. "Here you go, Aikawa-san," says a sweet voice. 'Ah, the lovely neighbour,' thinks Aiko as she sees the same cheerful girl sitting on her left. "Thanks," she says as she gratefully accepts the piece of tissue paper and begins wiping the chalk of her face.

The girl only observes what she does as she sits on her chair facing her.

Slightly uncomfortable with her stare, she asks her, "What's your name anyway?"

"Ah, Tsukino. Tsukino Miyazaki," she replies with a grin. Another grin. 'She will make a great pair with Mr. pretty-boy-who-thinks-he-looks-prettier-if-he-keeps-smiling over there,' remarks Aiko in her mind.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Aikawa Wataru but you already know that anyway."

Upon closer inspection, that girl is rather pretty. She has fair and rosy skin as well as long and thick ebony black hair. 'I'm jealous already,' admits Aiko. Instead of becoming a beautiful girl, she's now a pretty boy. Gak! A pretty boy! Oh, the shame!

"Hey, isn't your name Aiko-Aikawa-kun?" says a calm and gentle voice. Aiko turns. The true pretty boy speaks!

"It's Aikawa-_san_, if you please," says Aiko cooly.

"Ah... but you seem so small. It'd be odd to call you Aikawa-san, Aikawa-kun," replies Fuji with his trademark smile. Aiko misinterprets it as a hidden smirk. The nerve of him.

"Call me whatever you like Mr. Pretty Boy. You got a problem against small people, huh?," challenges Aiko roughly as she gets up to leave. "As for me, I'm leaving."

Fuji frowns a bit upon being called a pretty boy but regains his composure soon enough. "Where are you going? It's not time for break yet," he asks curiously.

"Well, according to our schedule, we have to head to the assembly hall to register for whatever clubs we want to take part in so if you'd excuse me, I'm a very busy person," says Aiko impatiently as she makes for the door.

"Ah! Aikawa-san! I should go too. Excuse me, Fuji-san," Tsukino bows politely to Fuji and hurries off after Aiko.

"Strange kid," mutters Fuji as he chuckles to himself.

---

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: I don't own Prince of Tennis ."

I have always liked Fuji and I have always wondered what kind of girl he would end up with. Anyway, I hope that the storyline is alright so far. Feedbacks will be much appreciated Feedbacks will be good fuel to spur me into writing more you see hint hint :P so if you think it's really bad, then don't review, ya! ;-)


	2. Chapter 2: What tennis team?

-1**Chapter 2: What tennis team?**

The hall is extremely crowded with students new and old. Booths have been set up within the spacious hall where the students gather to sign up for the club they choose. The most popular one is undoubtedly the Basketball Club in which the students, boys and girls alike, have to wait in an extremely long queue which extends all the way to the other end of the hall where the Bonsai Club booth is located at.

On the other hand, the Tennis Club booth seems rather quiet. Fuji makes his way there nonetheless only to see a tall muscular boy manning the booth. He has really short black hair which seems to spike up on his head on its own as wells as two sharp-looking eyes with black irises. He looks really stern. 'I have found the real Tezuka-buchou copy,' thinks Fuji humourously to himself.

"Hello, I'm Fuji Syusuke and I would like to enroll into the school's tennis team," greets Fuji politely. The serious-looking fellow glances at him and without a word, he points at a white piece of paper lying on the table. A black pen lies on top of that paper.

"Thank you," says Fuji as he picks up the pen and writes his name and class in the table drawn up in the form. He frowns as he looks at the names scrawled with the same black ink. Only ten have enrolled so far? That's not very encouraging. However, he smiles as he sees a familiar name in the list of names.

Aikawa Wataru. Class 1A.

'Ah... Aikawa-kun is joining the tennis team? I wonder how good he is,' thinks Fuji.

He places the pen back to its original position, gives a polite bow to his brooding senpai and leaves.

He does not notice his senpai's eyes transfixed onto his retreating back.

"Fuji Syusuke... eh?"

---

Yamashita High School has exactly six tennis courts. That is very few compared to Seigaku Junior High School but at least there're tennis courts.

Fuji heads towards the courts as he carries his black tennis bag against his right shoulder. Someone is already sitting at the bench, tying his shoe laces. The boy happens to be wearing a blue Nike cap, a white collar T-shirt and a pair of black Yonex shorts.

'So early?' thinks Fuji as he walks towards the earlybird. The earlybird looks up and Fuji's startling blue eyes encounters a pair of greyish blue ones. Fuji relaxes and smiles. "Konnichiwa, Aikawa-kun. You are early, I see."

"Call me Aikawa-kun again and I'll rip your smile off your face with a pair of tweezers Mr. Pretty Boy," snaps Aiko annoyed. "That's quite violent Aikawa-kun. A cute little boy like you shouldn't be using words like that," comments Fuji.

"Cute little boy???? Why you?!? You want a fight, knucklehead?" challenges an enraged Aiko as she gets up on her feet and glares at Fuji threateningly. A vibrant red aura seems to surround her but Fuji's aura remain a cool icy blue. He chuckles amused.

"What's so funny?" demands Aiko, slightly surprised at Fuji's behaviour.

"You're really cute, Aikawa-kun," he smiles at her.

Aiko is startled at his comment and a red tinge forms at her cheeks. "Wha- Don't call me cute, Mr. Pretty Boy!" she says, her voice falters slightly as she tries to control herself from over-blushing.

'Hmmm... his face seems really red. I don't think he gets many compliments,' remarks Fuji to himself.

He chuckles again.

"Hey, since you're the only one here besides me and all... Would you like to warm up with me?" asks Aiko awkwardly as she stares off in another direction, her cheeks still flushed.

'Why is he so embarrassed?' thinks Fuji. 'She's almost like a girl.'

He regains his sense of reality and replies, "Sure."

Fuji then quickly ties up his shoelaces and removes his crystal blue tennis racquet from his bag. Aiko is already standing at one end of the court, two tennis balls in hand, waiting. Fuji heads to the other end of the court and prepares for a shot. 'Saa... Let's see what this boy is made of,' he thinks.

Aiko bounces the tennis ball onto the ground a few times, clutches it with her right hand and smiles. She tosses the ball high up into the air and swings her left arm forwards with ease. This is going to be fun.

---

Their little 'warm up' session has developed into a full-court marathon, attracting the attention of all those who had signed up for the Tennis Club. "Look at those freshmen. They're really good," says one to his friend.

Needless to say, all eyes are on them but they are too wrapped up in their 'warm up' session to notice.

'Hnnh. Mr. Pretty Boy is pretty good and he looks as though he's holding back. He's sizing me up. Hmmph, this cute little kid will just have to show you what she's got now, ya?' thinks Aiko as she hits back shot after shot with pin point accuracy.

'Ah... Aikawa-kun is quite good. His footwork is brilliant and his strokes are not very strong but very accurate and skillful. How come I've never seen him at the school tennis tournaments before?' ponders Fuji as he returns every shot with ease. He smiles broadly, happy because he has encountered a worthy playmate.

A group of girls have already gathered outside the tennis courts to go 'goo-goo gaa-gaa' over the two handsome tennis players. Basketball players are tall and macho but tennis players are hot.

Unfortunately, not everybody enjoys watching the two freshmen display their awesome skills.

"Hey, stop right there!" a rough voice calls out from one end of the tennis court. Aiko who was about to serve the ball stops abruptly and turns to look at the source of the voice.

It came from a rowdy looking boy who has a nose which seems to be portruding too high for him. He has two slits for eyes and spiked up hair supported by excessive gel.

First impression: git.

"Who says you can use the tennis courts without our permission?" he cries out enraged as he approaches the duo with his minions trailing behind him uselessly.

Second impression: arrogant git.

"We're just warming up, senpai. The courts were empty so we decided to use it," replies Fuji calmly. 'How can he be so calm?' thinks Aiko. She's already on the verge of pouncing on that senior-with-a-weird-nose.

"Who says freshmen can use the courts whenever they please?" he demands again, moving his face slightly higher to seem more intimidating but Aiko only finds his extraordinarily large nostrils intimidating.

Third impression: arrogant git trying to act cool.

"We're sorry senpai. We promise not to do it again next time," says Fuji with his trademark smile as he gives a little polite bow.

For some reason, this seems to enrage the senior more for he says, "What are smiling about? Are you laughing at us, punk?"

"Shut up, you baboon-faced freak!"

A foot lands on the cheek of the weird-nosed senior and he falls onto the ground, clutching his right cheek.

"You make me sick!" says Aiko aloud.

"What the... how dare you kick my handsome face?" the weird-nosed senior cries out in rage.

"What do you mean by 'how dare i'? I just did, didn't I?" Aiko says impatiently.

Fourth impression: stupid arrogant git trying to act cool.

"Why, you... You're going to suffer!" he exclaims furiously and gets up from the ground to charge at Aiko.

"STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" says a stern and fierce voice.

The weird-nosed senior stops himself. All eyes are on the newcomer.

"Kazuya-buchou!"

All the seniors bow towads the newcomer in respect.

'Ah, he's the same guy who manned the booth earlier,' Fuji realises instantly.

"You can't even handle freshmen, Saeki?" Kazuya confronts the weird-nosed senior cooly. "You're as useless as the dirt under my fingernails," he scoffs.

"Attention to all you freshmen. As you can see, we don't have many tennis courts for you to waste your time with. So your duties for now are to pick up balls and set up the tennis nets. Your training will be supervised by your seniors so just do as they say if you want to remain in the Tennis Club. That is all," says Kazuya in his short speech.

He then leaves the tennis court, leaving the freshmen confused. No training in the tennis court? Then what are they doing in the Tennis Club anyway?

"Hehe... you heard that, scums?" says Saeki, the weird-nosed senior. "Looks like you won't be able to show off your skills for a long time."

"What did you say-?" Aiko is about to charge towards a smirking Saeki but she's held back by a calm and cool Fuji. "Don't cause any more trouble," he says quietly to her with a smile as he opens his eyes to reveal his crystal blue eyes. Aiko's breath skips a beat.

"Good boy, good boy. Don't cause any trouble to your senpais now," chuckles Saeki arrogantly. "Alright, all you useless freshmen, your training for today is to run around the tennis courts continuously, as in, non-stop. Do you read me? Now, go!" he orders.

Fifth impression: bossy stupid arrogant git who thinks he's cool.

All the freshmen glance at each other uneasily. Aiko wants to give her comment but tries to contain herself. Fuji silently walks out of the court and begins running. Aiko and the other freshmen quickly follow after him, pondering about their fate in the tennis team.

---

"Oh, god! I'm so tired!" exclaims a freshman as he collapses onto the ground in exhaustion. All the other freshmen are either already on their ground or panting heavily while clutching the wire fence which surrounds the courts. Only Fuji and Aiko seem to be panting slightly and sweating less profusely compared to the others.

"Two hours of continuous running! They are crazy!" complains another freshman. "And it's not as though they do any training of their own in the tennis courts," complains another.

Well, that's true. While the freshmen had been running their laps, the seniors were joking and laughing in groups, a few just hitting around in the courts.

"It's just not fair! I'm serious about playing tennis. Chi-kuso! I used to represent my previous school in tennis, dammit!" exclaims a tall freshman with extremely short black hair as he clutches the wire fence tightly, shutting his eyes.

Aiko can only stare at him understandingly. Why, oh why has she decided to come to this school? It's near her house and all but how does she expect to play some serious tennis if there are no serious tennis players around?

But she's wrong of course. There is a serious tennis player deep in thought right now, pondering about the current situation and what is to come.

What is to come indeed, is _the _most important question to ask for the moment.

---


	3. Chapter 3: Tennis is nothing here

-1**Chapter 3: Tennis is nothing here**

Huff! Huff! Huff!

A week has passed and the freshmen who recently signed up to join the school's tennis club are running again. Again.

As usual, Aiko and Fuji lead the pack. The other freshmen are already huffing and puffing their lungs out.

"Ah! That's it! I'm not running anymore!" a plump boy cries out as he stops running, panting while clutching his knees. Everyone stops to look at him.

"What are we doing? Every day the same old thing. All we do is run till club activities' time ends. All the senpais ever do is sit around and talk. They never ever train! What's the point of remaining here?" said plump boy expresses his thoughts.

The truth is, everyone has been asking the same questions whether or not in their minds or discretely amongst themselves. This is not a tennis team. This is a club for people who do not like club activities, for people who are more interested in small talk than breaking a sweat. This is no tennis team and being the hot-tempered girl that she is, Aiko is surprisingly quite patient. Normally, she would have given the seniors a piece of her mind a week ago but Fuji taught her to be patient and calm.

'He can't take this shit too. But at least he's calm about it. Wait and see what happens eh?' she had thought before.

So far, nothing's happened. But something is going to happen today.

"Hey, who told you to stop running?"

Everybody recognises Saeki's arrogant voice.

Saeki approaches the group with his minions trailing behind and catches sight of the plump freshman, still panting and clutching his knees. "Oh, so you're the one holding everyone back. What are you doing here anyway. Fat people can't run," he says smirking. His group of minions laugh as though they thought his joke was really funny.

'Oh, how I wish your head is watermelon. I would squash you and drink you as watermelon juice!' thinks Aiko, her mind brimming with violence. Being brought up with 3 brothers has its effects you see.

"Look, why don't you all just give up," says Saeki, folding his arms.

He has everyone's attention now. What sort of senior would encourage his juniors to quit?

He continues, "Don't you get it? We ask you to run every single day, not to get you guys fit enough for tennis. Haha.. There is no tennis! We get you guys to run so that you scums will quit on your own account!"

---

"We get you guys to run so that you scums will quit on your own account!"

Aiko's eyes widen at this. Who is he kidding? Why would they do such a thing?

She glances over at Fuji. He's not smiling any more. But it's hard to tell what he's thinking behind that poker face of his.

"Didn't you all notice? Day by day, more and more freshmen have already quitted. There're only this few of you left," he says gesturing his hand towards the small group of freshmen, indicating the obvious decrease in size.

Most of them have already noticed this, as a matter of fact. There were many freshmen who signed up to join the Tennis Club but after one week, there are probably about half of the original amount left.

"Then why do you recruit freshmen to join the Tennis Club if you don't even want us here?" asks another freshman with very short hair and thick eyebrows.

"That's part of the school rules. It can't be helped," says Saeki, shrugging as though saying, 'There's nothing I can do about it.'

"Who are you kidding? We are serious about tennis! How can you do this to us?" a red-faced freshman lashes out, his hands balled into fists.

Saeki's face instantly alters. "Serious about tennis? Serious about tennis? If you are really serious about tennis, you shouldn't be studying here! Tennis is nothing here, you dig?" he says dangerously.

The boy is about to retaliate but someone beats him to it.

"Tennis will forever be nothing here if scums like you continue to remain in the tennis team," says Aiko in a serious tone. Her eyes have a glint of danger to them. She's had enough of being calm and patient.

'I tried to learn from you, Mr. Pretty Boy but I can't stand bastards like these, ya know?' she thinks in her heart.

"What did you say?" says an enraged Saeki. Arrogant people don't like to be insulted now, do they?

"Since your stupid brain cannot process information very well, let me summarise it for you. Every single one of you are: scums. Tennis is nothing in Yamashita High School because of: scums, which, in case you forgot, are you. So you cause tennis to be nothing in Yamashita High School. Understand?" says Aiko impatiently.

"Why you, little brat! Do you want to fight?" he threatens. The freshmen and the enemy are stoned silent watching the proceedings of the heated verbal battle between Aiko and Saeki. If this is going to turn into a fight, it's going to be disadvantageous to Aiko, who is clearly much smaller than Saeki.

However, instead of feeling intimidated, Aiko surprises everyone by... laughing. It's not just a chuckle, it's not just a short "Ha!", it's a full-fledged i'm-going-to-pee-in-my-pants-if-I-don't-stop laugh.

The freshmen can only gape at her with their mouths open, hanging like caves for little mosquitoes to enter.

"You want to fight with me? Boy, I've been waiting for that line for so long you pee brain!" yells Aiko with a confident smile on her face after she's managed to stop laughing.

"However, since you want to prove that you're no scum, let's fight using tennis balls," says Aiko with the same dangerous glint in her eyes.

Saeki hesitates for a moment. If he does not accept Aiko's challenge, he will look like a coward but he hasn't really been playing tennis for a very long time...

"What's up? Is the great senpai afraid of lil ol' me?" mocks Aiko with a smirk on her face.

"What? Me? Afraid? Hah! This is your unlucky day you little brat! Bring it on!" exclaims Saeki, his face flushed. 'Bingo!' thinks Aiko to herself. Victory is hers. Muahahahaha.

"This is interesting...," says Fuji to himself as he touches his chin, his lips shaping into its usual smiling position.

---

"One set match, Saeki Unahara to serve. Love all, play."

And the match begins.

'Heh! You're probably all talk. I can't possibly lose to a little freshman. Eat my serve!' thinks Saeki as he bounces the ball on the court, tosses it high in the air and hits it hard with his racquet.

"Hai!" he screams.

'Huh... he shouldn't be able to take that,' thinks Saeki confidently.

Something flies towards the area between his feet and disappears behind him.

Bounce, bounce, bounce... The tennis ball lands behind the baseline and rolls towards the fence.

"Fif-fifteen love," the senior who has volunteered to be the umpire stutters as he stares at the ball, bewildered.

'What just happened?' thinks Saeki, slightly shakened by the strong return.

"Are you going to just stand there like a statue or are you going to continue?" asks an impatient Aiko. "Hnh! That was just luck! I was being easy on you, kid!" says Saeki to Aiko with a smirk on his face. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just serve the bloody ball," replies Aiko nonchalantly as she walks back towards the baseline to get into position.

'ChikusoThat brat!' thinks Saeki furiously. He picks up the ball and serves another powerful serve. "Hai!"

Something bounces close to the sideline and hits the fence at the other end.

"30-0"

And the game continues with Aiko scoring point after point after point.

"Game, Wataru 4 games to 0."

The freshmen are getting very excited with every point. They gave their full support for every point. Only one freshman was silent the whole time. Silently analysing the match taking place.

"Give up, senpai? Your non-existant skills are starting to bore me," says Aiko arrogantly as she touches her left shoulder with her racquet. True enough, she looks bored.

'Tsk, that arrogant brat! I need to do something. At this rate, I am going to lose!' he thinks worriedly. His reputation is bound to be tarnished. His pride, ruined.

But it's not over yet.

It's Saeki's turn to serve now, and he gives his all. "Hai!"

Aiko hits the ball back with precise accuracy towards the sharp corner of the court. Saeki just isn't quick enough.

He stares at the tight corner the ball has just landed at.

'Gek! If I really don't do anything, I will lose!' he thinks desperately as he squints his eyes.

"Out!" he says casually as he smirks at Aiko. "Just a little bit," he says as he uses his thumb and forefinger to indicate 'a little bit'.

Aiko widens her eyes in surprise for she is very sure that her shot landed in but she regains her composure quickly. So he wants to play dirty?

"No way! That was in," exclaims the plump freshman. "I saw it land in too!" says the freshman with thick eyebrows. "He's cheating..."

Fuji frowns slightly. 'So this is how it's going to be?' he thinks. "Hmmm..."

Saeki serves the ball again, this time with a little more confidence. 'He won't be able to hit towards the baseline or sidelines now. So the ball must land in the centre,' he thinks.

Well, he turns out to be right. As expected, Aiko hits the ball towards the centre line of the court. Feeling a bit proud of himself, Saeki says as he returns the shot, "What's wrong? Can't hit to the baseline or sidelines anymore?"

Aiko says nothing in return. Instead, she lowers and slants her racquet at an acute angle and slices the ball. The tennis ball crosses the net as a sharp volley and lands onto the court. However, instead of bouncing, it rolls forwards. Taken by surprise, Saeki stops moving completely and stares at the rolling ball. It rolls in a straight line towards the area between Saeki's feet and keeps on rolling slowly until it touches the fence and stops.

There is a moment of silence.

And then, comes the eruption.

"Whoa! What was that? Did you see that? Did you see that?"

"How did he do that?"

"That was so cool!"

"Oh my God! The ball did not bounce at all! Did you see that?"

"Ah... beautiful shot," says Fuji with a smile, his fingers touching his chin.

Saeki is too stunned to utter a word. 'Impossible!' he thinks.

"Saa... Shall we wrap it up quickly now?" says Aiko dangerously with a smirk on her face, her racquet head touching her left shoulder.

Saeki gulps as he walks towards the ball, shaking in fear. He has just realised that his opponent is a little monster.

---

"Game won by Wataru. 6 games to 0."

The crowd which has gathered outside the tennis court erupts into cheers. The little freshman has won.

Aiko had not noticed the massive crowd which had grown in size during the match. There were plenty of non-tennis players watching. Not to mention plenty of girls.

"AIKAWA-SAN!!!" they scream enthusiastically to get her attention.

Feeling extremely uncomfortable, she can't help but blush as she takes a gulp off her water bottle. Saeki had refused to shake hands with her and had stormed out of the court in disgust. Sore loser.

A group of freshmen crowds around Aiko excitedly. "Aikawa-san! You're incredible!" says Mr. Plump Freshman.

"Where did you used to learn how to play tennis?" asks Mr. Thick Browed Freshman. 'In a tennis court,' thinks Aiko humourously but she replies, "Osaka."

"Who taught you tennis?" asks a spiky-haired freshman whose face had gotten really red during the confrotation with the seniors earlier.

At this, Aiko's expression alters slightly into a sad and melancholic. For a moment there, she seems to stare off into space but she snaps out of it quickly enough. "I don't remember," she replies with a stiff smile. "Whaddaya mean by you don't remember? Haha! You're funny, Aikawa-san!" laughs the spiky-haired freshman and the others laugh as well. Nobody noticed anything. Nobody except the observant blue-eyed tennis prodigy of course.

---

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Hehe... thanks for the comments! I will try my best! . Fuji will be playing a more important role in the later chapters so i would like to apologise earlier if any of you had been hoping to catch Fuji in action. SORRY! . and take care:D


	4. Chapter 4: Forget about tennis

Chapter 4: Forget about tennis

**Chapter 4: Forget about tennis! **

School has ended quite some time ago. Most of the students of Yamashita High School have already gone home. However, there are two lone figures standing on the rooftop. One is leaning forward on the barrier, looking down at the students as they make their way home, the wind brushing against his cheeks. His chin was on his palm, his expression, unreadable.

Another is standing behind him. Beads of sweat are trickling down the sides of his face. His heart is pounding in his ears as he waits for a certain answer from the young man in front of him.

However, there is no answer.

Gulping, he tries to press the strange boy in front of him for an answer, "Well, what do you think, Kazuya-buchou?"

A pause. The strange boy leaning on the cement barrier smiles mysteriously and finally answers, "I'll look into this, Saeki. Meanwhile, stay out of trouble."

With that, Kazuya Fujiwara straightens up and turns to face a nervous Saeki with a confident smile. The setting sun behind Kazuya illuminates his figure, making him look as though he is glowing, like a God. The wind blows against his back, rustling his untucked white school shirt.

"This problem will be solved easily."

--

It is another bright and cheerful day at Yamashita High School. Perfect for a tennis practice.

Since Aiko had defeated the 'King of Scums', no senior had showed up on the tennis court that day. This provided much joy and gratitude for the freshmen as they finally had the chance to make use of the tennis courts.

"Ah! The joy! I haven't touched my tennis racquet for a very long time!" says Mr. Thick Eyebrows, also known as Taruma. He kisses his metallic blue racquet and glows a radiant yellow aura of joy. His two good friends, Mr. Plump Freshman and Mr. Skinny Red-faced freshman, also known as Chuma and Kikusho, can't help but sweatdrop at their friend's antics.

Fuji chuckles at the sight. "Hoi! Are you playing or are you going to observe the other freshmen?" a loud boisterous voice calls out from the other end of the court where Fuji's standing. He diverts his attention to the small boy opposite the court and smiles.

"Gomen, Aikawa-kun. You can serve now," he says as he positions himself to receive the serve to come.

"Don't call me Aikawa-kun!" snaps Aiko, this time not because she's annoyed (she's gotten used to the name) but simply out of sheer habit. Fuji only smiles broader upon hearing the predicted reply.

"Here I come!" says Aiko as she tosses the ball high up into the air and bends her knees, poised to hit a powerful and accurate serve. Fuji tightens his grip on his racquet, his eyes snap open in concentration.

And then, comes the interruption.

"Excuse me for the intrusion," a deep voice calls out from the side of the court. Aiko pulls her attention away from the tennis ball which then falls to the ground with a thud. A tall and muscular figure dressed in a typical boys' school uniform walks towards the court with his right hand gripping a huge red Yonex tennis bag over his shoulder.

"Ah... Kazuya-buchou!" greets Kikusho hastily upon recognising the familiar face. The other freshmen follow suit and bow slightly to the tall senior. They gulp, fearing that they might get in trouble due to their rebellion. What if he expels all of them from the tennis team? Then, they won't be able to play tennis anymore.

The same thought runs across Aiko's mind and before Kazuya can say anything, Aiko says coolly, "If you are here to punish us for rebelling against that idiot Saeki, then don't bother. It's none of the freshmen's fault. I am the one who provoked him. So if you want to punish anyone, I'm to blame." Her eyes show the fiery aura of battle. She's ready to suffer any consequences for her actions.

However, she's taken by surprise when the so-called serious and stern Kazuya-buchou starts laughing. He chuckles a deep low chuckle, annoying and confusing Aiko.

"What are you laughing at?" she asks roughly.

"Ha ha... It's nothing. You think that I'm here to punish you? You're wrong. I don't give a damn about what you did to those scumbags. Saeki deserves it anyway," says Kazuya with a cool smile. "I'm here to make you forget about playing tennis forever!" he says, pointing a finger at a surprised Aiko.

'What?!'

--

"I'm here to make you forget about playing tennis forever!"

'Who is he kidding?' thinks Aiko nervously.

Fuji looks at Kazuya with a serious expression, his crystal blue eyes observing him.

"You want to challenge me to a match? Is that it?" asks Aiko with a little hostility. 'He wants a match? Well, I'll give him one! I can't wait to watch him crawl to his mommy!' she thinks. Aiko is all fired up but Fuji on the other hand, remains as calm as lake water.

Kazuya chuckles again. "Why would I want to play with you? It will probably take less than ten minutes to beat you. There'll be no challenge," he says confidently, looking at Aiko as though she's nothing but a grain of sand in a cluster of diamonds.

"What did you say?" asks Aiko, her face flushed as she charges towards the tall senior. However, something seems to hold her back. A hand, gripping her wrist. She turns, her piercing greyish blue eyes encountering a pair of icy blue ones.

"If you're not here to challenge Aikawa-kun, Kazuya-san, then what are you doing here?" asks Fuji calmly. Kazuya's smirk grows wider.

"Hnh! Good question, Fuji-san. Well, I am here to challenge you, Fuji Syusuke, the former tennis prodigy of Seigaku Junior High School's tennis team, the number one team in the National School's Tennis Championships last year," says Kazuya firmly as he points at Fuji with his index finger.

And so, the battle between two tennis greats begin.

--

'Fuji Syusuke... Seigaku Junior High School... I knew I had come across these names somewhere before!' thinks Aiko as she looks at Fuji a little differently. Fuji's eyes are still fixed on Kazuya.

'A national champion!' she thinks, her eyes widening in awe.

'So Kazuya has his eyes set on him? But how can he possibly challenge a national champion?' wonders Aiko.

'But wait... Kazuya Fujiwara... That name... sounds very familiar...' she suddenly realises this. Just as she is pondering hard on the name, Fuji approaches Kazuya and asks, "What are the stakes for this match? I don't think you're here for a mere friendly match."

Kazuya smirks again. "Hnh. You're smart, aren't you, Fuji-san? I want all of you to give up tennis. So how about this, if you lose, all of freshmen have to quit this tennis team and forget about playing tennis ever again."

The rest of the freshmen who are observing this spectacle gulp. "Quit the tennis team?! No way!" the thick eye-browed Taruma can't help but cry out. The others are thinking the same thought. "Don't worry, Taruma. I don't know much about that brown haired guy but Kazuya-buchou just mentioned that he is a national champion, a tennis prodigy! I believe he can beat Kazuya-buchou!" says Chuma as he places his pudgy hand on Taruma's shoulder assuringly.

"What if I win?" asks Fuji, his expression undecipherable. "If you win, I'll quit my post as captain and you can do whatever you like with the tennis team," replies Kazuya confidently.

"So do we have a match, now?" asks Kazuya, his piercing black eyes lock into Fuji's clear blue ones.

"Of course," replies Fuji simply as he turns towards the bench where his tennis bag is currently lying on. 'Hnh!' Kazuya smirks a satisfied smirk and moves towards the other end of the court and dumps his tennis bag on the bench there. He removes a pair of white tennis shorts and a black T-shirt from his red Yonex bag and walks towards the changing room to change his attire. Meanwhile, Fuji tightens his shoelaces, his expression serious but calm.

Aiko stands awkwardly behind him, not knowing what to say. How does one speak to a tennis prodigy like Fuji? Sure, she is a national champion herself but still... She has never played in a National School's Tennis Championship before. She only took part in individual tournaments, never in team events. This is why she had never met Fuji before this and she had only came across his name through tennis magazines. Even so, she was never interested in the articles involving him or Seigaku Junior High School. Knowing that Fuji is on the same league as her (or perhaps even higher since he's a guy) has changed her mindset about him completely.

"Can I help you Aikawa-kun?"

Fuji finally acknowledges her presence, startling her from her thoughts. "Eh! Um.. well... I-I just want to wish you the best of luck," says Aiko a little hesitantly. 'Thank goodness his back is facing me,' thinks Aiko, relieved. She wouldn't want him to catch a glimpse of her lobster red face.

"Thank you, Aikawa-kun," says Fuji as he turns to face her and for the first time in a while, he smiles his familiar smile. Aiko can't help but smile back at him. "You're smiling again, Fuji-san. I'm glad. You look better when you smile," she accidentally blurts out, her voice sounding slightly more feminine than usual.

'Oh no!' Aiko suddenly realises her mistake as she stares at the confused and slightly surprised expression on Fuji's face. "Er.. I mean, you'd better not lose! I don't want to quit the tennis team, you dig? So you'd better win or I'll chop you up and eat you like sashimi!" she says with a rougher voice, panicking slightly. Her face is slightly flushed and sweat is dripping down the sides of her face. To prevent giving out more than she's already let out, Aiko turns around and runs towards the entrance to the court and approaches the group of freshmen crowding behind the fence facing the court where Fuji is.

'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!' Aiko scolds herself over her blunder. She secretly hopes that Fuji has not noticed anything odd.

Too bad for her...

'Hmm... that's odd,' thinks Fuji, his mind clearly portraying Aiko's more feminine image. He double-knots the bow he tied with his shoelaces and picks up his racquet, ready to enter the court. At the other end of the court, Kazuya is already ready in his white tennis shorts and black T-shirt. An ankle guard is strapped across his right ankle, hidden by his white socks.

Kazuya picks up his black Head racquet and scoops up two tennis balls with his racquet. Then, gripping the two tennis balls with his left hand, he faces Fuji and points his racquet confidently at him.

The ultimate battle is about to begin.

--


	5. Chapter 5: The disappearing serves

-1

**Chapter 5: The Disappearing Serves**

The sky grows cloudy as the two tennis masters take their position on the court. The wind whips pass them, rustling their hair and clothings.

Both are calm and collected while the freshmen, seniors and some random people who have gathered outside the court stand there silently, their hearts pounding as they wait for the battle to come.

"One set game. Fuji Syusuke to serve. Play."

And the battle begins.

Fuji bounces the ball with his left hand, calm and cool. The wind blows against his cheeks gently. His eyes snap open and he smirks as he holds the ball in his hand in front of him with his racquet pulled back behind him.

'Ah? What's he doing?' thinks a surprised Kazuya, frowning slightly.

"Underserve? W-What? I thought that he's supposed to be a national tennis champion!!" wails Kikuro miserably. "Relax, Kikuro, perhaps Fuji-san has a few tricks up his sleeves," consoles Taruma but his face clearly depicts a worrying expression.

"I wonder what's going on in Mr. Pretty Boy's puny head," mutters Aiko to herself. She's just annoyed that she has no idea what Fuji is about to do.

And then, he serves.

The ball flies to the opposite court and just as Kazuya thinks that he's going to easily nail it, the ball disappears.

Gone. Invisible. Nada.

A pause, and then the sound of the tennis ball hitting the fence behind Kazuya.

Another pause. And then comes the reaction.

"Bloody hell! What was that? Did you see the ball disappear?"

"I swear I saw it disappear! I swear I did!"

"Does this guy know magic?"

Obviously, the students of Yamashita High School have not seen such good quality tennis in the recent years. That can explain the noisy outbreak. However, there are two people who remain perfectly silent over this period. Stunned silent perhaps?

'What the hell was that?' thinks Aiko in amazement. 'That was one heck of a serve,' she remarks to herself, gazing at Fuji with a different expression. 'Fuji Syusuke.'

If the spectators are already this hyped up over a serve, what about the player?

Surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be much reaction from Kazuya. Sure, he looks surprised. But only momentarily. Soon, he regains his composure and displays his trademark smirk.

'Hnh. A true tennis prodigy eh? I haven't played with such a guy for a very long time. How interesting...' he thinks to himself excitedly.

15-0 and Fuji is about to serve again. He holds the ball in his left hand, his racquet pulled back behind him. The disappering serve again.

"Saa... I'm going to get you this time," says Kazuya excitedly.

Fuji serves.

Kazuya observes the ball as it shoots towards him, and disappears!

'Hnh! I've nailed the direction and timeing of the ball this time, Fuji Syusuke,' he thinks to himself and swings his racquet. However, it does not connect and the ball flies pass him again.

The crowd erupts into cheers. 30-0.

However, Kazuya hears nothing. No... In fact, his eyes are transfixed on the ball which had just escaped him. "Hmm... so it's not just flying at one direction only eh?" thinks Kazuya aloud in wonder. "Interesting..."

Aiko's expression is dead serious as she analyses Fuji's serve. 'I thought Kazuya would be able to nail it that time. The ball doesn't just disappear does it? It swerves as well? But that's impossible!' she thinks hard.

Another serve and the score is 40-0.

"Neh, Fuji-san! I think you can stop using that serve after this game," Kazuya calls out to Fuji, pointing his racquet head towards him confidently.

Fuji remains silent but thoughtful.

"Eh? Why did he say such a thing?" asks Chuma allowed.

"Stupid! Can't you see? He is trying to scare Fuji-san!" exclaims Kikusho. "It's obvious."

Taruma remains silent but worried. 'Gambatte, Fuji-san! All of us freshmen depend on you!' he prays silently.

From a distance, Fuji is trying to analyse his opponent. What did he mean by that? There's only one way to find out, isn't there?

He serves again.

The ball bounces off the other court and after a moment, it disappears. However, this does not worry Kazuya any more. He can finally predict the pattern of the ball's motion. 'Hnh... The ball is going to swerve towards the top right this time,' he thinks to himself and swings his racquet towards the imaginary ball confidently.

Sure enough, it connects and the ball richocets towards the baseline at the other end of the court. He has returned the shot.

"Wa-wa-WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" Kikusho exclaims loudly.

He isn't the only one for all the spectators are in awe as well.

"Out!" the umpire cries out and true enought, the ball has landed a few millimeters away from the baseline.

"Game won by Fuji. One game to love."

"Yes, Fuji-san has won the first game! He's definitely going to win this match!" exclaims Kikusho loudly. "GO! GO! FUJI-SAN!" he bellows excitedly while waving his arms about, attracting the attention of the other spectators. "Kikusho... please control yourself...," says Taruma shyly, blushing.

The spectators are definitely enjoying this. However, Seigaku's tensai is all seriousness as he stares at his opponent. 'His shot went out but that doesn't change the fact that he was 'broken' my Disappearing Serve,' thinks Fuji to himself. Now what?

Kazuya bounces the ball with a satisfied smirk on his face. He tosses the ball high up into the air and jumps before the ball has reached it maximum height.

"Ah? What the hell? He's going to miss the ball!" says Aiko aloud.

But no. She's proven wrong as Kazuya's racquet connects with the ball in lightning speed. The ball skids on the court close to Fuji's right foot and disappears behind him. All this within a blink of an eye.

There is a stunned silence among the crowd.

"Wha-what just happened?"

"Another disappearing serve?"

There is much confusion amongst the spectators regarding Kazuya's lightning speed serve but before they can figure that serve out, there comes another lightning speed serve from Kazuya. This time, the ball skids close to Fuji's left foot before disappearing behind him.

Fuji can't seem to find any reply to his serve.

"40-0"

"No!! He's going to lose! He's going to lose!!" Kikusho wails like a baby, attracting more irritated stares from the spectators around him.

"The match isn't over yet, Kikusho..." says Taruma as he diverts his attention back to the match.

'Saa... what are you going to do, Mr. Pretty Boy?' thinks an amused Aiko. She is truly enjoying this game.

"Hnn..."

Fuji looks as though he's figured something out. He turns and walks towards the end of the court.

'So what are you going to do now, tensai Fuji Syusuke?' thinks Kazuya as he eyes the brown-haired lad. However, Kazuya's look of confidence alters into a look of surprise as he notices Fuji's position.

He's positioned himself way behind the baseline, as in at least two foot behind. What is he thinking?

Kazuya regains his concentration as he tosses the ball and performs his lightning speed serve. The ball bounces on the centre of the crosscourt and seems to disappear momentarily. However, in Fuji already knows where the ball is heading. You see, unlike Fuji's disappearing serve, Kazuya's serve does not cause the ball to swerve in another direction. In other words, the ball travels straight in one direction.

However, as mentioned earlier, the ball _skids _on the court in an extremely acute angle. Therefore, the ball richocets very close to the ground as it bounces off the court. This is why Fuji has bent his knees and lowered himself very close to the ground, his racquet poised to retrieve the extremely low serve.

Luckily for him, his racquet connects with the ball but the only thing he can do for the moment is to lob the ball towards the baseline where Kazuya is already waiting, like a tiger ready to pounce.

And pounce he does as he smashes the ball towards the sideline.

"Game won by Kazuya. One game to one."

The wind blows again.

This is getting interesting.

---

The match has already gone pass the halfway mark. Fuji is leading 4-2 but it's Kazuya's serve now and he is winning 40-30. There are no longer any short rallies or easy points in the match. Both parties are able to retrieve each other's serves and now, they have to rely on other skills instead.

Early in the match, Fuji had introduced to the excited audience, two of his triple counter shots: Tsubame Gaishi (Swallow Return) and Higuma Otoshi (Bear Drop).

However, Kazuya had managed to counter Fuji's counter-shots by hitting the tennis ball deep and low towards the baseline right left and center so that Fuji would be kept on his feet constantly and would not have the chance to pull off his Swallow Return.

And so, the match had turned into a long gruelling one.

"Game won by Kazuya. 3 games to 4."

And now, it's Fuji's turn to serve. Kazuya was right. After the first point, Fuji had not executed his Disappearing Serve at all. Surprisingly, it's the same for Kazuya. It's as though both of them do not want their serves to be 'broken' completely.

Fuji slices the ball towards the left side of Kazuya's court. Kazuya hits another deep and low return towards the sharp corner close to the sideline, forcing Fuji to run a great distance to retrieve it. Fuji's backhand return turned out to be rather weak and Kazuya took the advantage to put the shot away with another deep and low return towards the other end of the court.

He could have smashed the shot but that would only provide the golden opportunity for Fuji to use his Bear Drop.

"Game won by Kazuya. 4 games to 4."

The score is tied even now.

The crowd are a lot quieter than before as they watch, their attention completely on the two young men struggling on the court.

There is another long rally between the two as the score is tied up at 30-30. Fuji pulls off a deceptive volley, causing the ball to sail close to the net as it crosses the net. Surprised, Kazuya's right foot jerks a bit before he executes a dive in an attempt to save the shot.

He misses the ball by an inch and lands a little awkwardly.

"40-30!"

Kazuya does not get up.

A little concerned, Fuji walks a few steps forward towards Kazuya but he stops at the sign of movement from the taller lad. Kazuya picks himself up from the ground, a little shakened but his smirk is still in place.

His eyes squint a little as though in pain but that is only for a moment. Nobody would have noticed. Nobody... except the tensai perhaps.

Kazuya glances at his right foot. 'Heh... The pain is coming back again, isn't it?' he thinks to himself. 'My ankle injury...'

Fuji serves again. There is yet another long rally but this time, Kazuya's shots do not seem as strong and powerful anymore. In fact, his shots are also becoming less and less accurate.

Fuji returns them with ease. Finally, he sends a deadly shot towards the top left corner of Kazuya's court. Kazuya attempts to move towards the shot but his right ankle prevents him from moving forwards.

"Game won by Fuji. 5 games to 4."

"Chikushou!" he curses to himself and glances at his right ankle, annoyed.

Both players take the opportunity to towel down and quench their thirst.

Kazuya wipes his face with a white towel, feeling a little frustrated with himself. 'Stupid injury... And the match was getting interesting too,' he thinks to himself, sighing. 'I will have to... quit the tennis team... eh?' He smirks to himself. 'Hnh... I'm not going to bow down without a fight!' he decides and gets ready to go on court.

At the other end of the court, Fuji is greeted by plenty of cheers and encouragement from the freshmen as he takes a couple of gulps off his water bottle.

"Gambatte, Fuji-san!"

"You can do it! Go! Go!"

"Come on! Do your best, Fuji-san!"

They all seem so psyched up. All their faces look so... hopeful? Excited? Eager? However, there is one face missing from the group of freshmen. He frowns slightly. 'Where has that little kid gone off to?'

---

As Fuji ponders this thought, the 'little kid' is currently seated on a bench under a shady tree, overlooking the school's football field. The wind is still blowing gently, blowing soft comforting whispers into her ears, carressing her.

The sound of the leaves rustling comforts her. She leans backwards, her two arms casually apart, placed on the grey stone bench. She looks up at the cloudy sky, observing the plushy white cotton woolish clouds moving slowly over a sky blue background.

As she enjoys the cool wind brushing the strands of hair not hidden by her blue Nike cap.

It's so peaceful here.

"Saa... I wonder if Mr. Pretty Boy has already won," thinks Aiko aloud as she looks up to the sky.

"Fujiwara Kazuya... He seems strong... but his right ankle is going to cost him," she says to noone in particular.

"Fujiwara Kazuya... Where have I heard that name before?"

---

Back to the game. Fuji is leading 40-15.

Since the the forth set, Kazuya's movements have been getting slower and less stable. However, he is still a force to be reckoned with as proven by another long gruelling rally.

But the long rally now ends with Fuji putting away a weak forehand return from Kazuya. The match is won and the crowd bursts into cheers.

"Game won match. Fuji Syusuke wins."

Fuji shakes hands with Kazuya who only smiles and says, "Guess you'll be the new tennis team captain, eh?"

Fuji stares at him with his piercing blue eyes, concerned. "How's your right ankle?" he asks softly.

"Hnh. It's an old injury. You don't need to worry about it," Kazuya brushes the question away with an odd look on his face.

They break off their handshake. Kazuya picks up his red Yonex tennis bag and walks away from the court, leaving a thoughtful Fuji staring at his retreating back.

Tennis now blooms in Yamashita High School.

---


	6. Chapter 6: We are serious about tennis

-1**Chapter 6: We are serious about playing tennis**

It's another bright and sunny day in Yamashita High School and the atmosphere in the tennis courts is also a cheerful and enthusiastic one.

One week has passed since the match between Fuji and Kazuya. Kazuya did not up in the tennis court ever since his defeat to Fuji.

Ever since the seniors have 'gone away', the freshmen finally got the chance to fully utilise the facilities and actually 'train'. However, not all the seniors had gone away as there are a few who are serious about playing tennis and had waited a long time for actual training.

At the present moment, Fuji is sitting on the bench, tying his shoelaces while Aiko is stretching her legs in front of him, warming up.

"Neh... Fuji!" Aiko calls out suddenly.

"Hai, Aikawa-kun?"

She ignores the fact that he's acknowledged her as Aikawa-**kun **again. She's resigned to the fact that Fuji is not at all intimidated by her threats.

"Are we going to keep doing this?" she poses her question.

Fuji seems to understand what she means as he frowns slightly at that question, thinking.

After a moment's silence, Aiko says darkly, "I heard that there's an ex-national tennis player among our school staff. He was appointed as the tennis coach once but he quitted as the tennis coach a few years ago. Nobody knows why."

She observes Fuji's facial expression. He looks... thoughtful. But it's hard to tell what's going on in that brilliant head of his. What is he going to do about this?

Fuji finishes tying his shoelaces and stands up abruptly. Aiko stops stretching and looks inquiringly at him. He smiles as he scans the tennis courts, watching the hardworking freshmen practise.

"Okay, everybody listen up," he calls for attention.

All the eager and enthusiastic freshmen begin to crowd around him.

"For today's training, please divide yourselves into groups of three. Two players will be attacking one player on the court. The one player will have to cover the entire court of course. Each set lasts 15 minutes so remember to rotate after every fifteen minutes," instructs Fuji all cool and calm.

"Kikusho," he turns to the spiky-haired freshman with surprisingly fair and rosy skin.

"HAI!" he shouts eagerly upon being acknowledged by the great tensai.

"Please keep timing," says Fuji with a broad smile on his face.

"Ha-HAI!" replies Kikusho who looks as though keeping time is the ultimate goal in his life as a tennis-playing freshman.

"I'll be away for a while. So please do your best to organise yourselves," Fuji advises with a wide grin and his eyes shine through slits as though saying, 'or else'.

The freshmen gulp at that look and hurriedly enter the courts to begin their practice.

"Saa, Aikawa-kun. Let's go now, shall we?" he turns to Aiko who's still standing in front of the bench, feeling a bit startled.

"Ah.. Okay," she replies and jogs over to Fuji as he walks towards the gate. They are on a hunt for the infamous tennis coach of the Yamashita High School tennis team.

---

"Tennis coach? What tennis coach?" asks a young female teacher, wide-eyed.

Fuji and Aiko are now in the teachers' staff room where most of the teachers are having their coffee break.

A female teacher with wrinkled skin, short hair and a small frame walks by.

"I heard that there used to be a tennis coach in Yamashita High School," explains Fuji to the confused young teacher with a charming smile.

"Saa... This is my first year teaching here so I wouldn't know," she replies with the same wide-eyed expression.

"Ah... Soh ka... That's alright. Thanks for your times," says Fuji politely as he bows slightly towards the fish-eyed teacher.

Aiko sighs. "No luck, Fuji. Let's try asking someone else," she says exasperatedly.

"Are you looking for Fujiwara-san?" a firm but feminine voice asks from behind the duo. They turn around to find a pint-sized woman about her thirties looking at them with intense eyes.

'Scary. I wouldn't want her to be my teacher,' thinks Aiko.

"Fujiwara-san?" Fuji asks inquiringly.

"If you're looking for the former tennis coach of Yamashita High School, that's him," she explains coolly.

"Ah! Really? Yes, we are looking for him! Where can we find him?" asks Aiko hastily, her expression all lighted up when the woman mentioned the word 'tennis coach'.

The woman smirks slightly, as though remembering a funny joke. "He's at the school canteen," she answers bluntly and walks away, the smirk still plastered on her face.

Aiko is just about to call out for her to stop but Fuji grasps her outreached hand and pushes it down gently. He looks at her with that intense eyes of his. 'We've already got what we wanted. Let's just go,' his eyes seem to say.

Aiko relents and suddenly realises that Fuji is still holding her hand. She quickly moves her hand away, blushing slightly. She can feel an odd and disturbing sensation in the pit of her stomach but she tries her best to revert to her more boyish self.

"Let's go quick!" she calls out with a little forced cheerfulness as she walks across the staff room with her back facing Fuji. The teachers seem to be oblivious to the duo as drink sips of coffee or tea from their white polystyrene cups, immersed in their daily gossip.

Fuji looks at her retreating back with a smile. 'Aikawa-kun seems pretty enthusiastic today,' he muses, absolutely blind to her feminine side.

---

The school canteen is a spacious one. Many rows of clean white plastic tables between rows of wooden benches, a long stretch of counters in which various types of food are sold...

Presently, there is no one in the canteen. No one except him.

A tall unshaven middle-aged man wearing a white apron and a piece of white cloth wrapped around his head like a bandanna is currently sitting beside a register behind the main counter, counting money. His fingers click away expertly on the battered calculator lying on the table between piles of Yen notes.

"...2000 yen plus 1000 yen plus 500 yen..." he mutters as he taps away on his calculator.

He presses the 'equal' sign and frowns to himself. "That can't be right."

And he begins counting again.

Aiko and Fuji stand at their current position, watching the man work.

'This is the infamous tennis coach? He does look pretty muscular, and very tall too,' muses Aiko. She decides that the man has to be the ex national tennis player she's heard about and steps forward to check if her prediction is right.

Fuji grabs her shoulder, warning her not to be too hasty. Too late.

The man's fingers stop moving. Without looking up, he asks with a seemingly sarcastic smile which looks vaguely familiar, "Whaddaya kids want?"

Fuji smiles and steps forward, pass Aiko.

"Konnichiwa. I am Fuji Syusuke from the school's tennis team. Sorry for bothering you but are you Fujiwara-san?" Fuji asks with a politeness which probably made him the teacher's pet for all the teachers who taught him in his previous school.

"Hnh. So what if I am?" the man finally looks up, the same sarcastic-like smile still plastered on his face.

"We are serious about playing tennis and we would be extremely grateful if you would agree to resume your position as the team's tennis coach," Fuji explains calmly.

Aiko stares at him wide-eyed, stunned by his frankness.

The man seems startled too for he frowns slightly, thinking. However, his familiar smile/smirk gradually returns and he replies, "Hnh. Not possible, kiddo."

But why?

---

"Hnh. Not possible, kiddo."

Aiko looks at him, surprised. Shouldn't he be more enthusiastic or at least optimistic upon hearing that he may have the chance to be a tennis coach again? Fuji looks clearly surprised by his answer as well.

"But, Fujiwara-san! Why not? Isn't being a tennis coach much better than working in a school canteen?" Aiko can't help but blurt out her opinion. Fujiwara-san gives her a piercing look.

"I like food," he says bluntly.

'He likes food,' Aiko and Fuji share the same thought.

Right.

"Fujiwara-san... Are you trying to kid us?" asks Aiko feeling slightly annoyed.

"No. I like food. I like money. Operating a school canteen rakes in money. What more do I have to say?" explains Fujiwara-san calmly.

'What the heck? How can he say such a thing?" thinks Aiko. 'Wait a minute! His surname is Fujiwara?'

"But what about tennis! You were a national tennis player once! Kenji Fujiwara! The former national number two singles player!" exclaims Aiko loudly, a excited upon recognising his name.

She's read about him in many tennis magazines before. He used to be the second best Japanese player, a little overshadowed by the great Echizen Nanjiroh but still... a national number two!

Fujiwara-san looks into Aiko's greyish blue eyes with a piercing stare.

"I don't like tennis any more," he says with an odd pained expression on his face, as though hiding something.

Aiko's eyes widen. But why? Why does he look as though he's experienced something bad? Perhaps it's got something to do with him quitting as the team's tennis coach. Why did he quit anyway?

"Please sir. We really need a tennis coach. The district tournament is approaching and all of us are working hard in anticipation. I hope that you would lend us your expertise, Fujiwara-san," says Fuji suddenly, his face all serious, his icy blue eyes, equally piercing.

Fujiwara-san frowns slightly at Fuji's expression. All of a sudden, he chuckles. And then, he laughs. He laughs as though he had just witnessed something extraordinary. Fuji and Aiko can only watch him stare. Aiko is feeling pretty uneasy about that man before her. She looks up at Fuji and sees the left side of his face, expressionless, waiting.

"You are an interesting kid, Fuji Syusuke," he finally says when he has stopped laughing, shaking in disbelief.

"Two weeks," he says with a broader smile/smirk as he shows them two fingers with his right hand, startling both Fuji and Aiko. Two weeks for what?

"I have seen the pathetic kids you call 'tennis players'. You will never win the district tournament with this bunch of scums. If you can recruit a complete team of tennis players capable of winning the district tournament in two weeks, I will agree to be the team's coach," the man explains as he stands up from his chair while folding his arms.

"However," he continues, smirking, "If I find that any one of the team players is thrash, you can forget about winning the district tennis tournament, you dig?"

He looks at Fuji confidently. Aiko watches Fuji's thoughtful expression as he ponders on his decision. And then, Fuji smirks and meets the confident man's gaze. "No problem," he replies, equally confident.

Aiko shuts her eyes momentarily. How on earth are they going to find seven to eight strong tennis players in this school with just two weeks to spare?

"God help us," she whispers to herself.

---


	7. Chapter 7: Join the tennis team

-1**Chapter 7: Would you like to join the tennis team?**

A group of second year students are chatting enthusiastically amongst themselves as they walk pass the corridor towards their respective classes. As they turn at a corner, a brightly coloured piece of A4 paper stuck on the bare white wall catches their eyes.

"Eh? What is this?" a girl with large glittery eyes ask aloud. They gather around the brightly coloured poster.

_**Do you have what it takes to become the next Pete Sampras?**_

_**The school's tennis team is organising an 'audition' for all tennis enthusiasts to show off their skills and find out if they have what it takes to be a regular member of the school's tennis team who will be taking part in the district tournament coming soon. **_

_**If you think that you have the talent, come on over to the school's tennis court this Friday at 1.00p.m. Don't be late for the tryout! **_

_**For more details, please contact Fuji Syusuke and Aikawa Wataru from class 1A. **_

**PS: This poster is created by Kikusho Yamazaki!**

"Tennis tryout?" the same girl with the large eyes exclaim.

"Does our school even have a tennis court?" she inquires innocently, looking at her friends. They can only sweatdrop at her ignorance.

---

It's Friday at last- and the tennis courts are practically empty save the hardworking and eager freshmen. Two tables had been placed side beside the entrance to the courts to serve as a registration table. Fuji and Aiko are seated side by side behind the table.

They watch a little miserably as the freshmen hit the ball to one another on the court. Actually, there seems to be more misses than hits.

As the only people who turned up for the tryouts so far happens to be freshmen, Fuji had organised a game of 'Kings' for them to 'flaunt' their non-existant skills on court by turn. Basically, it's like this:

Two people get on the court to play against one another in a 3-point match. Whoever reaches the three point mark first wins. The winner gets to stay on the court to face yet another opponent who replaces the losing party.

This way, everyone gets a chance to play and the matches won't be so long. Also, Aiko won't have to endure watching impatiently as the freshmen miss serves after serves and hit utterly impossibly horrendous strokes. Once, she got so pissed off with this freshman who could not serve even one ball over the net and picked up her racquet serving ball after ball towards the poor freshman's behind all the while yelling, "If you want to join the tennis team, learn how to serve first you scum! Stop wasting my time!"

It took three freshmen to stop her. Fuji only chuckled to himself as he watched his infuriated friend.

"They are scary...," Kikusho whispered to Taruma.

However, it's pretty unfair to say that they are all terrible at tennis. There are, after all, a few players who had played tennis in the past, but their standard is still, honestly speaking, not up to mark. Kikusho, Taruma and Chuma are among those who can play summat and right now, Kikusho is engaged in a tight encounter with Taruma much to the delight of the other watching freshmen.

Aiko places her chin on her hand casually placed on the wooden table in front of her. She sighs deeply, feeling disappointed with the turnout. 'What am I doing here?' she asks herself. She's the country's top women's player. Possible, she's the next Ai Sugiyama, the top women's player in the country! And now, she's just a cross-dressing girl playing tennis along unknown losers.

Wait, that's too much. Not everyone here are losers.

She turns her head slightly to take a peek at her companion. His face is, as usual, undecipherable. His skin, so fair, despite the constant exposure to sunlight. His hair, pretty long for a guy but somehow, it suits him so well. 'Even my hair is about his length,' Aiko remarks to herself.

"Anything you want, Aikawa-kun?"

The pretty boy speaks.

Slightly startled, Aiko blushes a little, looks away and says as nonchalantly as possible, "Nothing."

Now, it's Fuji's turn to look at her in wonder. What's with her weird behaviour?

Before he could figure out what's wrong with his friend, however, a familiar face appears on the court. Carrying a bright red Wilson bag, a rather short boy with an odd shade of hair colour (is it light pink? gasp!) walks into the court with a sleepy expression on his face.

Aiko catches sight at Fuji's slightly startled expression.

The boy's face lights up as he sees Fuji, losing its previous sleepy feel. "Fuji-san!!!! Genki desu-kah? (how are you?)" he asks cheerily as he waves at him. "Konnichiwa Jirou-san. Watashiwa genki desu. (Hello, Jirou. I'm fine.)" answers Fuji with a smile.

'Ah... so they know each other,' Aiko nods to herself. 'Now when the hell is Fuji going to introduce me?!?' Grrr...

Fuji feels a something tugging at his sky blue T-shirt. He turns to see Aiko looking sheepishly at him, he right hand pinching her shirt gently. Her eyes gesture towards Jirou and immediately after that, she looks straight into Fuji's icy blue eyes.

Fuji smiles as though he understands what she means. "Saa... Jirou-san. This is Aikawa Wataru. Aikawa-kun... This is my friend, Akutagawa Jirou. He used to represent Hyotei Junior High School in tennis," Fuji introduces the two strangers to one another.

Aiko's eyes light up as soon as she hears the word 'Hyotei'. "Ah! Hyotei?!? You mean that prestigious tennis club?!?" she blurts out excitedly. "Prestigious? Ahaha! I guess you can say that, Aikawa-kun!" replies Jirou, laughing casually.

Looks like they have found one new member at least.

---

_**Do you have what it takes to become the next Pete Sampras?**_

_**The school's tennis team is now open for registration.**_

_**If you think that you have the talent, come on over to the school's tennis court any time after school from next Monday to Friday to flaunt your skills. Better hurry up! **_

_**For more details, please contact Fuji Syusuke and Aikawa Wataru from class 1A. **_

**PS: This poster is, yet again, created by Kikusho Yamazaki!**

---

It's a beautiful Saturday. The sky is blue. The sun is up. The birds are singing.

"Good day for tennis," Aiko remarks to nobody in particular as she stares out the window of her bedroom in her stiped pale blue pyjamas with little Mashimaros patterned onto it. Too bad, it's a Saturday and there happens to be no training on that day. Glum.

"Aiko! Breakfast!" a gentle woman's voice calls out from downstairs.

"Coming!" Aiko shouts back and she hurries out of her bedroom and runs down the stairs, two steps at a time.

At the wooden dining table, a typical japanese breakfast is laid out before her. Red bean rice, some salted vegetables, teriyaki chicken, tofu... Her grandmother is a brilliant cook. "Ohaiyo, Aiko," she greets her niece with a smile, her greying hair tied up into a tight bun. She's wearing a simple misty purple yukata. She may look pretty old and worn out now but Aiko knows that her grandmother used to be very beautiful.

"Good morning, granma," she greets back.

She kneels on the mat and picks up her chopsticks.

"Aiko! You're awake already? Good, good!" a loud voice calls out from the staircase as a skinny wrinkled and bald old man descends the steps. What a contrast to his wife's gentle demeanour.

"You're so noisy, granpa," Aiko points out flatly, biting her chopsticks.

"Don't say that Aiko! I'm not loud! Am I loud, Mrs. Wataru?" he says in his usual loud voice as he turns to his wife. "Not at all," she remarks, smiling gently.

"See!"

Aiko merely sighs like a mother who's told by her child that he is Superman.

"By the way, Aiko! You better eat up fast. We've got to meet someone in a while," says her grandfather as he walks towards the living room at sits on the couch, waiting. Aiko notices that his grandfather is already dressed up for an outing in his casual white shirt and khaki Bermudas.

"What do you mean by 'we'? Where are we going?" asks Aiko, a few grains of rice stick around her lips and she wipes them away. "We're going to meet an old friend of mine. He owns a tennis shop. His son plays tennis. You better dress up in your tennis kit. You might have to play," explains her grandfather briefly.

'Yes! A game!' the inner Aiko celebrates while the outer Aiko struggles to keep her composure. "What time are we expected to be there?" she asks calmly.

"Nine o'clock," he replies shortly.

Nine o'clock?

Aiko glances briefly at the white round clock on the wall. 8.50a.m.?!?

"Granpa you idiot!" her screams can be heard throughout the neighbourhood.

---

By the time they got to the small tennis shop located at a secluded corner of a street, it was already 10.00a.m.

"It's all your fault, old man!" Aiko says as she glares at her grandfather who's busy whistling to Sukiyaki, a well-known Japanese song. As he grandfather has instructed, she's all dressed up in her tennis kit. Her boys' tennis kit of course. If she's going to let her identity survive in this area, she's got to be play the part required.

Carrying her tennis bag over her right shoulder, she walks beside her grandfather on the stone pavement, her blue Nike cap shielding her eyes from the glaring sun.

She pushes against the glass door and enters the small tennis shop. Above her are the words 'Ishida's Tennis Shop'.

The shop is a small one with one wall filled completely with tennis racquets hanging from long metal hooks. A stringing machine is situated at the back of the shop, behind the wooden counter. The wall opposite the one filled with racquests consist of metal hooks in which various colourful tennis clothing hang from. A few racquet bags are displayed on a horizontal shelf above the metal hooks which stretches across the wall. There's also a short and long white shelf with drawers below the metal hooks. On the shelf, colourful tennis grips and other accessories are displayed along with their prices.

A buff-looking old man who's seated behind the counter stands up when he sees Aiko and her grandfather and walks over to them in strides. "Ryukyu Wataru! Long time no see, my old pal!" he bellows in his deep voice as he gives Aiko's grandfather a bear hug. "Same to you, Uchi-san!" he replies.

Aiko witnesses the reunion between the two men with not much interest. Her eyes sail towards a young figure behind the stringing machine. A bright red racquet is being strung by quick and expert hands coming from the young figure.

He's a tall one. A very tall one. About one and a half head taller than Aiko and has jet black hair which seems to stand upwards on his head like long grass, opposing gravity. He's a little skinny for his height though.He's dressed in a casual yellow T-shirt over a pair of black Yonex track pants and some odd silver and red Yonex shoes which look more suitable for disco dancing than playing tennis. 'He looks like a bamboo stick,' she thinks to herself.

"I suppose you haven't met my granddaugh- oops, I mean grandson." Aiko's grandfather's loud voice drags her attention back to the two old men. "This is Aikawa, my grandson. He's just moved here from Osaka recently," her grandfather introduces her to his pal. She is pretty sure that the Bamboo Stick had glanced up at her.

She smiles a little awkwardly at the giant before her and shakes his hand. His grip is firm and strong.

"Nice to meet you, Aikawa-kun. This is my son, Ukita Ishida," he says gesturing to the Bamboo Stick. The Bamboo Stick, now known as Ukita, smiles briefly and returns to his work.

"I believe that he's from the same school as you," says Mr. Ishida. "Ah!" Aiko blurts out in surprise. "You mean he's from Yamashita High School?" she asks wide-eyed.

The noise from the stringing machine stops.

"Why, yes! He's doing his second year there," replies Mr. Ishida with a smile. "Now, Ryukyu! Would you like some tea?" Mr. Ishida's attention draws back to his old buddy as he leads him to the room behind his shop.

As the two men make their way to the back of the room, Aiko stops in front of Ukita who has returned to his job in stringing the racquet. Upon noticing her presence, he stops whatever he's doing and looks up at her. "What do you want, punk?" he asks.

Looking at him with sincere and innocent eyes, she blurts out, "Would you like to join the tennis team?"

---

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Haven't updated for a long time! sorry abt that... school holidays had just begun for me. woohoo! that means more updates i suppose... hint hint ;-P


	8. Chapter 8: I'm a badminton player

-1**Chapter 8: I'm a badminton player**

Looking at him with sincere and innocent eyes, she blurts out, "Would you like to join the tennis team?"

There is a stunned silence for a while. The tennis racquet has stopped swinging back and forth in the stringing machine. A pair of dark brown eyes gazes at her greyish blue ones, undecipherable.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid,' Aiko curses herself.

'How could I just blurt it out like that? How is he going to take me seriously now? He probably thinks that I'm some stupid blumbering doofus now,' she moans within the walls of her mindbox.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid.'

She hears laughter, a deep and low chuckling kind of laughter.

Frowning, she sees the tall Ukita chuckling to himself while shaking his head. He rubs away a tear from his right eye with the sleeve of his T-shirt. His hands are working on the machine again.

"Why are you laughing?" she asks him, feeling annoyed that he seems to be belittling her.

"Your name is Aikawa, am I right?" he finally asks after the chuckling stopped as he looks directly into her eyes again.

"Y-yes," answers Aiko, trying to sound bold and manly for she has forgotten for a moment there that she's now Aikawa.

"Maa, Aikawa-kun," he begins. ('What's with the -kun!' thinks Aiko to herself, irritated)

"I'm afraid that I have to say no to your offer."

Aiko freezes. Wait a minute. Did he just say no?

"But why?" she blurts out again, slightly surprised.

Well, she did not expect him to say yes immediately in the first place, but she had not expected him to say no either. He did not even ask her anything.

The racquet stops swinging left and right again.

He chuckles again and looks at her right in the eyes.

And here comes the moment of truth:

"Aikawa-kun, I can't play tennis, because you see, I'm a badminton player."

Oh, a badminton player.

Right.

---

"Bloody hell!"

A crushed Coca-cola can bounces off a dirty white wall with a 'clang'. It bounces a little before resting on the stone pavement.

The sun is about to set soon and the sky is a brilliant watercolour background of orange, pink, red and purple. There are less and less people in the park now.

In fact, in this scene, there is only but a lone figure sitting on a grey stone bench, panting slightly as her skin glistens under the setting sun due to perspiration.

Frustrated with what had occurred in the tennis shop, she had, grouchily, announced to her grandparents that she was going for a jog in the park. After running for an hour, she had bought a can drink from the vending machine and sat down on the bench, thinking about what that tall bamboo stick of a badminton player had told her...

"_Aikawa-kun, I can't play tennis, because you see, I'm a badminton player."_

_There was yet, another stunned silence as Aiko digested this new piece of information, but stunned silence never lasts forever._

"_But your father was a pro tennis player!" she protested, though she did not know for what she's protesting._

"_So what?" he spat, startling her a bit. He had a hard look on his face, sort of distorted really, but he regained his demeanour quick enough. _

"_Aikawa-kun, I used to play tennis when I was younger but I switched to badminton so I'm playing badminton now," he explained patiently, as though to a small kid._

_Why? Why badminton?_

"_But Ukita-san! Why did you switch to badminton? Why did you give up tennis?" she asked hurriedly. _

_He gave her the same gaze, as though pondering about something she'd probably never know about. _

"_Why not?" he calmly replied._

_Eh?_

_Before she could utter another word, he continued, "Badminton is also a popular racquet sport although it's not as popular as tennis. Badminton is practically the top racquet sport in Asia and there are a lot of European countries which take badminton quite seriously as well. Although it's got a pretty cool reception in the US, it's slowly developing and I am very sure that it can well be the top racquet sport in the world some day."_

_Aiko could not find any words to say. Frankly speaking, all she knew about badminton was:_

_1. The court is smaller than that of a tennis court._

_2. They use some cone-shaped cork-and-feathers structure known as a shuttlecock instead of a tennis ball._

_3. Their racquets are less bulky, have smaller heads and are a lot lighter._

_Aside from that, she had no idea how it's played or how the scoring system is. She knew that Japan has a pretty decent badminton team (from what she's read in the papers) but that's about it._

"_Why do you like badminton?" she asked him curiously. What's so great about this game anyway? His father was a tennis pro for Kami-sama's sake._

"_Simple. It's a lot faster than tennis," he replied with a nonchalant shrug. "It's more exciting and nerve-racking. Tennis is just too slow. Besides, there's more tricks that you can do with a shuttlecock compared to a tennis ball."_

_Oh, really? Hmmm..._

_Wait, hang on a pickle of a second! Did he just say that tennis is slow? The nerve of him! Who did he think he was, Asafa Powell?_

"_What do you mean by 'tennis is too slow'! If you think you're too fast for tennis, why don't you prove it on the court first!" said Aiko hotly, her eyes burning with spirit. The spirit of love! For tennis, of course._

_Ukita frowned slightly at first, as though taken aback by her behaviour, but his the right part of his lips curved upwards. He was bloody smirking, at her, the princess of tennis!_

"_What are you smirking around for? Bring it on now! Show me what you've got! I challenge you!" she challenged him. (XP) _

_Ukita gave her more reason to be frustrated when he shook his head in disbelief and chuckled again. Aiko frowned. _

"_Do you think I'm kidding? Let's make this more interesting. If I win, you join the team. If you win, I leave you alone. Deal?" she offered though she secretly knew that she would put in more effort in her attempts to recruit him if he really did beat her._

_Ukita sighed and stretched his arms upwards, arching his back. His back must had been pretty stiff from bending over the stringing machine all day._

"_Look kid, I don't have the time to play around with you, okay? I already said no so you should just look for someone else," he said, looking at her straight in the eye again._

_Before she could retaliate, the door to the small room at the back of the shop opened to reveal two noisy men laughing boisterously. _

"_Ah, Uchi! Those were the good old days na?" said Ryukyu in his loud voice as he patted his large friend's back._

"_Why, Ryukyu! You really should drop by more often! Let's go for lunch together some time, ok?" said an equally loud Uchi. The two men looked at each other with brotherly fondness._

_And then, they parted. _

"_Goodbye, Ryukyu! Remember about our lunch date! You're paying by the way!" Uchi cried out as though wanting the whole neighbourhood to know. _

"_Take care Uchi! And what did you say? I'm sorry. I'm getting old and my hearing's getting a little rusty," replied Ryukyu as he walked away, waving. Aiko followed behind him, feeling moody._

"_You're lying you sneaky old man!" Uchi cried out._

"_Right back at you buddy!"_

_And the sun was smiling down on them._

Though by now, the smiling sun has already descended out of sight. The sky is becoming dark and it's getting pretty unsafe for a young girl to be out alone in the park, however much she may resemble a boy.

Sighing again, she lies down on the bench and gazes at the darkening sky. Already, she can spot a few stars, waiting to fully shine within its blanket of dark blue.

"What am I doing?" she asks herself aloud. There is a nostalgic look on her face.

The sky has transformed completely into a typical evening sky by now. The glorious silver shine of the stars are clearer and more significant now. They're like small diamonds embedded on a black satin gown.

The night breeze is gently and sweet. The birds have already gone to bed but the crickets are alive with their song. She can hear the croaking of toads and frogs from the lake nearby.

Aiko closes her eyes, as though trying to absorb the beauty from her surroundings.

"Ah? Aikawa-kun? What are you doing here?" a familiar voice tells Aiko that she's not alone.

She opens her eyes only to see a pair of familiar icy blue eyes staring into hers. That pair of icy blue eyes is as beautiful as the stars in the sky. It's so blue...

She admires its beauty for a little while longer, until her sense return to her head. Blue eyes, light brown hair, fair skin... Oh, bother!

Realisation sinks in and her eyes widen. She quickly snaps her body upwards only to have her head colliding painful with the not-really-a-stranger's.

"Ow...," she gasps as she clutches her forehead painfully. She glances over at Fuji to see him rubbing his forehead, chuckling as he does so.

"Sorry for surprising you," he apologises with that smile of his, the one which makes girls experience a goo-ey feeling in the pit of their stomachs. Aiko is a girl, and unfortunately, she's no exception, though she's pretty good at masking it though.

Thank goodness it's dark, or her blushing face may blow her cover.

"What are you doing her?" she asks, sort of snaps, abruptly. Fuji frowns slightly before answering.

"I was jogging," he replies, smiling as he takes a seat beside her.

Surprise, surprise. Mr. Pretty Boy is pretty hardworking after all.

"I see."

Silence. The gentle breeze dances around them, sweeping past them like little sprites, only to swirl back as though executing a series of pirouttes.

"So... have you found any new members for the tennis team?" asks Fuji, trying to strike a conversation.

Aiko sighs upon remembering the earlier happenings of the day.

"Not really," she replies moodily.

Fuji must have sensed her distress for he presses no more and they remain silence.

"What about you?" she asks, partly due to courtesy. Fuji has been gracious enough to start up a conversation. She should at least play along.

"Not really," he replies, slightly amused as he turns to look at her with the same smiling mask. Aiko wonders what's going on behind that smiling face of his.

What does he ever think about besides tennis? Girls love him to death. Heck, he even has a fan club! But why doesn't he seem interested? Please don't say that he doesn't like girls though Aiko should have nothing to complain about his sex preferences since she's already eligible enough to be classed as a cross-dresser despite her reasons. But that can't be it.

He's smart. He's a tennis prodigy. What more does he want? He doesn't seem very content for one thing. It's as though everything is a routine to him. Good grades? Get them all the time. Tennis? Yeah, well. I just got to beat them, right?

It's as though he's smiling to tell everyone that he's happy with his life and why shouldn't he? But what Aiko really really wants is to see him smile straight from his heart some day. She wants to see him feel happiness he has never felt before. Some day...

"Wake up, Aikawa-kun. It's getting late."

Everything is dark and blurry.

"Just another minute, Granma," Aiko mumbles, stirring.

"I'm not your granma," says the voice, sounding rather amused.

She finally opens her eyes only to see Fuji's smiling face, at a very close angle.

"Waa!" she exclaims as she puts more air particles between Fuji and herself. She had fallen asleep on Fuji's shoulder for God-know-how-long already. Upon realisation, her temperature rises up to boiling point and her face is turning red a lot quicker than a traffic light.

"Ohaiyo, Ai-ka-wa-kun," greets Fuji cheekily, stretching Aiko's false name for special effect.

But alas, it's still night, much to Aiko's relief.

"What time is it?" she demands, giving him a glare as she regains her composure and steadies her heartbeat.

"9.00p.m." comes the reply.

"9.00p.m.?!?!? I am so screwed! Sayonara, Fuji-san! Oh, and good night!" she exclaims, panicking and dashes off in a sprint. 'Granpa is going to kill me,' she groans.

Fuji watches her back until she runs out of sight. He thinks. Of what, I do not know yet.

"Mmm... Interesting kid."

And the crickets continue to sing.

---

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Fuh! This is getting longer than I thought. I swear I tried to cram everything about Ukita Ishida into one chapter but i just couldnt do it T-T i really appreciate your comments btw :-) will continue trying my best thx!


	9. Chapter 9: I want to play tennis again

**Chapter 9: I want to play tennis again**

The sound of badminton shoes squeaking against the wooden floor as well as the powerful sound of shuttlecocks being smashed hard onto the courts radiate from a grey modern-looking multi-purpose gym.

"Jump higher! Swing faster!" a clear tough voice shouts to two players moving on one side of the court. They move very quickly, taking turns to smash the shuttlecocks thrown towards them by a young and short female coach who is standing on a plastic chair while holding about twenty shuttlecocks on her left arm, picking them up and throwing them above the trainees' heads expertly.

When the last shuttlecock has been thrown and smashed to the other side of the court, the young coach says, "Alright! Rest 3 minutes."

Breathing a sigh of relief, the players move towards one side of the wall where several badminton bags have been thrown about on the floor. A tall figure remains on the court, staring after his coach as she jumps down from the chair and straightens her blue Yonex collar T-shirt. At the back of her shirt bears the words: **Choi HY **on top and **Malaysia **below the name.

She catches her disciple staring at her and she grins at him with her usual mischievious grin. She is very short for a badminton player. About 5 feet maybe. Her hair is dyed a mixture of brown, gold and blonde, cut layered till it reaches to her shoulders. She looks very fit, with the right amount of muscles for badminton.

She's Ukita Ishida's badminton coach. And the person he loves, albeit secretly.

Choi Hua Ying (the lady in question) is 24 while Ukita is 17. They met when she was 22 and him, 15, in a recreation club. Ukita was on his way to the tennis courts to play tennis with his father when a short brown-haired woman bumped into him as she was rushing to the badminton courts.

_"Sorry about that!" she had apologised while looking up at him with a huge mischievious grin as she picked up a bright red Yonex bag from the ground. _

_Noticing how large the bag looked, Ukita asked her, "Are you a tennis player?" _

_She smiled again and answered, "No... I'm a badminton player. Or used to be. Now I'm a coach. From today onwards actually." She grinned sheepishly and Ukita's heart skipped a beat._

_"You're not Japanese, are you?" asked Ukita curiously. She did look a bit Japanese but there was something foreign about her as well... Her accent sounded a little off for one thing._

_Surprisingly, she laughed. Chuckled, more like it, and then she answered, "I'm Malaysian though while I was in Malaysia, there were quite a number of people who told me that I looked Japanese." _

_Ukita smiled at her and she smiled back. Neither said anything for a while. _

_"Hey, I have to go now. Got to be early on my first day as a coach," she said as she gestured to the multi-purpose gym nearby. Ukita merely nodded his head, not sure of what to say. _

_She took a few steps and then, turned back to look at him. "If you are interested in learning how to play badminton, you can just come on over okay? I'll be here till seven!" she called out. _

_Ukita nodded his head and smiled again and she disappeared._

_After thrashing his father in tennis ("I'm getting old!" complained Uchi. "Give me some chance now, will ya?"), Ukita had lied to his father about leaving one of his racquet in the tennis court while they were on their way home. He had rushed back to the gym and had hoped that she was still there as the sky had already darkened and upon glancing at his watch, he realised that it was already 7.10p.m._

_Luckily, she was still there, playing doubles with some unknown social players. His presence unnoticed, he quietly watched her play and felt awed. She looked as though she was flying, jumping up and down, right and left... There isn't much jumping in tennis but in badminton, it's important to jump as the shuttlecock is moving so quickly. _

_She looked very nimble and her reactions were very quick. Her shots were sharp and powerful. Her movements were quick and graceful._

_Ukita was in love, with two objects of admiration: badminton..._

_And her._

Since that day on, he gave up on tennis and pursued his newfound interest: badminton. Hua Ying was surprised at his rate of improvement. Ukita was surprised himself. Within one year, he became the province champion in badminton and even went on to reach the quarter-finals of the National Junior Badminton Championship, and mind you, he was only 16.

Sometimes, he thought about tennis. His father had been quite critical about his choice in sporting excellence. "The tennis great's son is a great badminton player. How ironic is that?" his father had grunted disapprovingly. "What tennis great are you talking about?" Ukita had retorted, smirking. "Zip!" his father retaliated.

But he gradually forgot about tennis. His father had gotten used to his badminton interests and stopped poking at him about it. He's happy.

However, that little brat had to bring tennis crashing into his life again yesterday. What was his problem? Why did he have to remind him about tennis? He felt so tempted to accept his challenge. It took him a lot of control to resist thrashing that brat on the tennis court to show him who's boss.

Back to the present, Ukita looks at his bubbly coach. She's sort of like a tomboy come to think of it. The way she talks and carries herself isn't exactly how one might describe as feminine or gently but Ukita loves her just the way she is.

"Anything?" she asks, her hands on her hips as she approached her disciple an unknown admirer.

Ukita sighs and wears a troubled expression. Hua Ying's smile falters.

"What's wrong?" she asks quietly but Ukita remains silent.

Hua Ying turns her attention to the other trainees. "Alright! Break time's over! Start your physical exercises now! Sprinting, 5 courts, 8 sets. Sit ups, push ups, high knee jumps and twists 50 times 3 sets. Now!" she orders sternly.

There are a few groans as the tired sweating boys get up from the floor and trudges towards one end of the gym to begin on the dreaded physical exercises.

"You, come with me," she refers to Ukita as she exits the gym with Ukita trailing behind her.

"What's wrong?" she demands again, with a stern expression on her face.

Ukita shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath before answering:

"I want to play tennis again."

Ukita Ishida lies on his bed, the back of his head on his hands, staring out at the glass window beside his bed as raindrops tap gently at his window. The sky is darkening and soon it would be night. 'Did I make the right decision?' he wonders.

Sure, he's progressing so far in badminton despite playing for only 2 years. At this rate, he might really make it to the national badminton team.

'And then what?' he thinks. 'Where do I really want to go in badminton anyway? It's not as though I play badminton to be an Olympic champion or anything. Why do I play badminton anyway?' he ponders.

It can't be because of Hua Ying... can it? Sure, he loved her the moment he met her but he couldn't have picked up badminton just for her sake now, could he?

He continues thinking.

No, that's not it. He sincerely enjoys playing badminton but that's just it. He enjoys playing badminton. He enjoys winning too for who wouldn't? He enjoys seeing the smile on her face when he's picked up a new skill. But that's all there is for badminton: joy.

Nothing else. There's not thirst for success, no hunger. Just joy and fulfillment. Where else for tennis, well, take the event from yesterday as an example! He hasn't played tennis for two years and he could get so fired up over a challenge by a short kid. He is his father's son after all. Tennis is in his blood and no matter how hard he tries, he can't eliminate tennis from his life. It'll always be with him.

Ukita Ishida finally knows what lies in his heart. He is in love with a badminton coach, but he is a tennis player. And from their conversation in the afternoon, his badminton coach had accepted his decision with an open mind.

Aiko glances at the white board sleepily while waiting for school to start. She's so tired. Her grandpa had challenged her in Playstation 2 Tennis the night before and they had played on till way past midnight despite her granma's little protests. For an old geezer, her granpa was pretty good.

Still, losing to him was a real kick below the belt for Aiko. The embarrassment!

The wooden door opens and a gruff voice calls out, "Is Aikawa Wataru in this class?"

Still in a daze, Aiko does not have any reaction upon hearing her false name. "Aikawa-san," someone calls gently to her. "Aikawa-san," the female voice calls out again.

A hand touches Aiko's shoulder and Aiko finally snaps. She finds that the hand on her shoulder belongs to that of a very beautiful girl with fair rosy skin and long ebony hair. Tsukino Miyazaki. The girl who sits next to her. The girl Aiko envies for her beauty. The girl all the bad guys want. Well, no, actually. Just the girl all guys want in general.

She's so feminine and gentle. Aiko wishes she can be just like her if she isn't trapped in a boy's identity. Tsukino has been talking to her quite a lot recently. In fact, they are starting to become quite close. No wonder Aiko has been getting some odd stares from jealous boys recently.

"Someone's looking for you, Ai-ka-wa-kun," says a familiar voice from a familiar boy with light brown hair. Fuji Syusuke. Aiko blushes a little as she comes face to face with the Most Eligible Bachelor Freshman in Yamashita High School.

Tsukino turns to look at Fuji and smiles at him with a smile which can make any guy swoon.

But Fuji is always an exception.

He smiles back at her and turns his attention back to Aiko again. "You shouldn't keep people waiting," he advises.

'Oh right. Someone wants to see me,' that message has finally been keyed in to her CPU.

She stands up and heads out of the classroom only to see a tall spiky-haired figure leaning against the wall with a sort of stubborn or defiant look on his face. She doesn't recognise him at first but that broom-like hair catches her attention.

"Ah! You're Ukita Ishida!" she exclaims, pointing at him. Sweatdrop.

"Glad you remember me," he says sarcastically as he looks down to the floor, embarrassed by her outburst.

"You finally want to accept my challenge?" Aiko asks bluntly.

"No! Don't be arrogant you punk! I can trash you in tennis any time!" Ukita bursts out exasperatedly, shaking a fist at Aiko. However, he regains his composure in time. He clears his throat and with a serious expression, he says, "I want to join the tennis team."

Aiko stares at him dumbly. Did she hear right? He wants to join the tennis team? Really? Really really?

Ukita feels as though a heavy weight has been lifted off him. Yes, he has made the right decision, he assures himself.

"Too bad. Application closed," Aiko says nonchalantly as she makes her way back to her classroom.

"Wh-what?" exclaims a shocked Ukita. He had tried so hard to convince himself that he was making the right decision and this little brat had to throw him down like a rag doll!

"Are you kidding?" asks Ukita, swallowing hard.

"Yup," answers Aiko nonchalantly.

Ukita almost falls to the ground.

"You little brat! You're going to pay for that!" he has lost his cool again as he shouts loudly while pointing at Aiko's retreating back.

"Yeah yeah yeah... Just come for training after school tomorrow, okay?" she informs him as she disappears into the classroom din.

"Hmmph. That brat!" Ukita mutters to himself but he can't stop himself from smiling.

Around him, people are still looking at him as though he's a mutated broomstick. Annoyed, he bursts his temper again. "What are you guys looking at?"


	10. Chapter 10: All they need are two

-1**Chapter 10: And all they need now are two**

There is much buzz on the tennis courts when an unfamiliar face entered the court to join in in their daily training session. As he busies himself with his warm-ups, the freshmen are gossiping curiously amongst themselves.

"Who is that?" whispers Chuma, the plump freshman, to Taruma. Taruma's thick eyebrows knit on his forehead. "I don't know," he replies. "Probably a new recruit."

"Hmmph. I don't like him. His hair is too cool," comments Kikusho bluntly, his arms folded as he stares at the newcomer with an irritated expression on his face. Now his chance in becoming a regular member will be slimmer with that tall bamboo stick's arrival. (He should really meet Seigaku's Horio XP)

Meanwhile, the more experienced players in the tennis club are secretly watching the ex-badminton player perform his warm-ups. Well, not all exactly, for Akutagawa Jirou has fallen asleep, lying against the green wire fence.

"Have you seen him play yet?" asks Fuji, looking at the newcomer thoughtfully.

"Um, no," admits Aiko. "But his father was a national tennis player, and Ukita used to play tennis before switching to badminton," she continues.

"..."

After Ukita and everyone else are done with their warm-ups, training commences.

"Please wake Jirou-san up, Aikawa-kun," Fuji instructs Aiko with a voice so gentle she couldn't bring herself to scold him for calling her Aikawa-kun. Jirou wakes up after much shaking and screaming from Aiko.

"For today's training, I want all the freshmen to practise serving. You can use courts two and three. In court one, I would like Jirou-san to have a match against Ukita-san," says Fuji to all the tennis players lined up in front of him.

Ukita looks startled upon hearing his name and turns to look at his soon-to-be opponent who doesn't seem to have any reaction and is still yawning sleepily.

'That brat... he doesn't take me seriously at all,' Ukita thinks to himself, irritated.

'I'll show him...'

---

And the match ended with a 7-5 win to Ukita.

As you can see from the score, it was a tightly contested match with Jirou doing what he does best: volleying. But Ukita is a badminton player. He's used to covering the front portion of the court frequently as netplay (sort of like volleying in badminton) is extremely common in badminton.

Jirou had woken up from his dazed state as early as the first set, when Ukita had returned almost all his volleys. He got so excited with the way he returned his volleys that he decided to try out all the volleys he could execute to see if he could return them as well. This display of skill obviously drew the crowd and soon, the training freshmen became awed spectators.

As Ukita had claimed earlier, his reaction time is a lot faster than Jirou's and he could move very quickly. However, Jirou is the smarter and trickier player with his flexible wrist, though that did not stop Ukita from winning. Jirou thought that by hitting more volleys and high lobs, he could slow down Ukita's pace. That did not really work so well as Jirou's seemingly impossible volleys could be retrieved by Ukita. Plus, he had killer jump smashes.

Hence, the match went to the 'broomstick' (his new nickname, Aiko's influence) and for now, there is four.

---

The classroom of class 1A is noisy, as most classes would be when there isn't a teacher present. Aiko's engaged in her book, Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, oblivious to the din.

"I didn't know you like such complicating books," a gentle voice breaks into her field of concentration. "Fuh! You think you're the only one who read, Mr. Pretty Boy?" she chides.

Fuji only chuckles to himself. He draws the empty chair in front of Aiko's table, turns it to face her and sits on it, folding his arms on the table while placing his chin on his arms, smiling.

Aiko tries to ignore him and focuses on the confusing story.

They sit like this, silently for a while, until the teacher enters the class to bring them some surprising news.

"Alright, get to your seats you worthless scums," says the verbally brutal Marina-sensei. Her ponytail is tied with a bright red hairband and she's dressed in a pair of long black pants and a white shirt. Upon hearing her instruction, all the students scramble to their seats, nervous sweat trickling down the side of their faces. She's no teacher to mess with.

Fuji calmly takes his seat on Aiko's right and all is quiet.

"Ahem, alright everyone, we have a new student today. He has just transferred from Gyoken High School and his name is Takashi Kawamura. Please welcome him everyone," she announces. There is applause and a few confused looks. Why is there a new student at this time of the semester?

Aiko does not care much about this new piece of information but much to her surprise, Fuji's eyes have snapped wide open upon hearing the name of the new student in question. Does he know him?

A tall but timid boy with short brown hair enters the class and looks at the many eyes before him with a shy face. "Please introduce yourself, Kawamura," says Marina-sensei.

"Uh... Ano... Hello, everyone. My name is Takashi Kawamura and I'm from Gyoken High School. Yoroshikun Onegaishimas," he says politely, bowing clumsily.

"Alright, Kawamura-san. You can take your place beside Yamada over there. Yamada! Raise your hand so that Kawamura can see you!" she snaps to a timid-looking boy in glasses who sits in front of Fuji. "Ha-hai!" the bespectacled boy answers, raising his right arm abruptly.

As Kawamura treads his path a little awkwardly to his new seat, his eye catches a familiar face.

"EH???? FUJI!!!!" he exclaims loudly while pointing at his old friend with a look of pleasant surprise.

"Long time no see, Kawamura-san," Fuji says with a friendly smile.

---

It's finally time for recess and the students, particularly the female students, are happily indulging themselves in their bento (packed lunch). Aiko, being the lazy girl that she is, obviously did not prepare any bento for herself. Her granma used to prepare extremely cute bentos for her but since she transformed herself into a 'boy', she had asked her to stop (though quite reluctantly) because she did not want to look like a sissy.

She sighs at the sight of her female classmates excitedly comparing the contents of their bento and gets up from her seat. Just when she's about to leave the classroom to head to the cafeteria, a hand grips her by the elbow. She turns to see a pair of beautiful almond-shaped eyes beaming into her greyish blue ones.

"I made you lunch, Aikawa-san," she says a little shyly as she pushes a rectangular box wrapped neatly with a cute sky blue cloth patterned with yellow duckies toward her.

Startled, Aiko stumbles with her words, "Th-thank you, Tsukino-san."

She accepts the lunchbox a little awkwardly. Tsukino blushes and gives a polite nod before running out of the classroom with Aiko staring awkwardly after her. The classroom seems quieter as all eyes are on her. She can feel the jealous aura radiating from the male counterparts while the females look pleased at the prospect of a new topic for gossiping.

"Found a girlfriend, Aikawa-kun?" teases Fuji as he approaches the speechless girl. "Shut up, Mr. Pretty Boy," she mutters though she is still blushing. Someone else is standing next to Fuji and Aiko is about to greet him. However, she's already forgotten his name.

Looking a little awkwardly at the new student towering before her, she stutters a little. "Er... Ano..."

Seeing her discomfort, Fuji says, "Ah, Aikawa-kun. Allow me to introduce to you my good friend, Takashi Kawamura. He used to study in Seigaku Junior High School too and he's also a regular member in the school's tennis team."

Aiko's eyes flicker at the word 'tennis' and she's back to her energiser-bunny mode.

"AH??? Kawamura-san! You're a tennis player?!?! No wonder you look so tall and muscular!" she exclaims excitedly, attracting the attention of her other classmates.

Kawamura laughs shyly saying, "Ah, ahaha... I'm quite alright in tennis, I guess."

"He's just too humble to say that he's actually a very good player," Fuji comments with a smile.

"Then you must join our tennis team, Kawamura-san! You must, you must, you must!" says Aiko with ferocious spirit, fire burning in her eyes. Kawamura sweats a little, overwhelmed by her strong spirit but manages to find the form to reply, "Y-yes, I will, Aikawa-san."

"That's great!!!" celebrates Aiko as she punches her fists to the air. "Now we have five members! Hurray hurray!"

Kawamura smiles at her antics. He had never thought that his presence in this school would bring such a great reaction.

"Ah! Ano, Kawamura-san! Why did you transfer from Gyoken High School anyway?" asks Aiko, finally brought down to reality. Fuji looks at Kawamura with a more serious expression, patiently awaiting his answer.

Kawamura smiles, a little abashed and answers, "I did not decide to quit that school, Aikawa-san. I was expelled."

"What???"

---

Kawamura smiles, a little abashed and answers, "I did not decide to quit that school, Aikawa-san. I was expelled."

Fuji and Aiko are stunned silent. What can a timid guy like Kawamura possibly could have done to get himself expelled? That's unimaginable.

"What??? Buy why?" asks Aiko, clearly in shock.

He smiles again. "Ahehe... I got expelled for vandalism. Someone accidentally stepped on my tennis racquet and the string broke. When I picked it up, I sort of got a little crazy and wrecked almost all the tables and chairs in the classroom. This wasn't the first time it happened and the principal had enough of it. So, I was expelled," he explains.

'Right...' thinks Aiko. She feels as though she's been cheated. He's been expelled because of some petty vandalism?

"That's just sad," Aiko comments bluntly.

Fuji merely chuckles. 'Typical of Kawamura,' he thinks, amused.

"I'm glad you're here though, Kawamura-san," he says to his good friend, smiling. Kawamura grins back at him. Aiko watches the interaction between the two old friends with genuine interest.

She doesn't know much about this vandal, Takashi Kawamura, but that doesn't matter. As long as he plays good tennis, that's all she cares about.

And all they need now are two.

---


	11. Chapter 11: You're Eiji's cousin?

-1**Chapter 11: You're Eiji's cousin?**

"BURNING"

A battered tennis ball ricochets to the opposite end of the court with lightning speed. It clearly resembles a burning meteorite, zipping across the sky.

"Yosha!" a lanky brown-haired lad punches his fist up into the air in triumph as his opponent, another lanky lad with dark ebony hair in which no amount of combing can help flatten it, stares at him in disbelief.

"G-Game won by Kawamura Takashi, 6 games to 4," says Taruma, stuttering a little as he's taken aback by Kawamura's strength in both strokes and spirit.

'This guy is a monster,' thinks Ukita Ishida to himself as he looks at Kawamura, who is busy celebrating his win, in amazement.

Obviously, he is not the only one who thinks so for the freshmen feel so amazed by his strength that their knees are shaking already.

"This guy is strong," Aiko can't help but speak her mind to her companion standing beside her. "He's still the same as before," comments Fuji with a smile.

'I don't want to challenge him. His strength will make the match so unfair,' thinks Aiko to herself. She makes sure that she doesn't express that thought of hers aloud as she does not want to sound weak.

"Fuji, how much time do we have left?" asks Aiko as she observes Kawamura's funny antics. He's scaring the freshmen with his hollering and racquet-waving.

Fuji's face transforms into a serious one as he ponders her question.

There is a momentary pause as the tennis prodigy drowns himself in his thoughts.

"Not much," he finally replies.

---

The weather is cloudy and not too sunny. 'A perfect day,' thinks Fuji to himself as he walks down the pavement in his old Seigaku track bottoms and a teal blue T-shirt, his tennis bag carried over his shoulders.

A group of junior high school girls are whispering and giggling to one another as they walk behind the tennis prodigy, all blushing as they gaze at Fuji's back, immersed in their own juvenile fantasies. Fuji knows that they are whispering about him but he merely ignores them.

An ice-cream vendor is selling popsicles and ice-cream in cones at a junction in the corner of a row of shop lots. A group of school children are talking loudly to one another while lonely housewives walk slowly with bags of groceries in their arms.

It is a fine day.

However, the peace in the scene is disrupted by a piercing scream coming from several blocks away. Not long after, a tanned young man with punkish blonde hair and three piercing on his ear appears from the corner of the shop lots, startling the ice-cream vendor.

He is clutching a brown handbag and there is someone behind him, chasing after him.

The tanned punk runs down the pavement with his chaser closely behind him. However, the tanned punk is just too slow and soon, he is on the ground, his captor on top of him.

Fuji is only a few metres away, a witness to the capture.

"I've got you now, punk! Now give me that bag!" says the captor. He snatches the bag away from the snatch thief's hands triumphantly. Fuji can see that he is only a young man in his teens, just like him. He should be about his age. His hair is longish and is dyed a deep mahogany brown and he has three piercing above his right eyebrow in which three flat and round silver studs lie glistening on his skin. His right ear also contains three piercing. The first impression Fuji gets from the lad is: he looks like a musician.

Just a while later, two policemen in their usual uniforms appear from the junction, yet again startling the poor ice-cream vendor. The 'musician' looks relieved upon seeing the policemen and is about to greet them when they suddenly grab hold of his arms and twist them painfully to his back.

"Ouch! Hey- What's going on?" asks the 'musician' as he struggles to break free from the two policemen's grip. "You're under arrest for a case of snatch theft," says the chubbier of the two policemen grimly.

"You've got it all wrong, sir! I'm innocent! I caught the snatch thief you are talking about!" the 'musician' cries out. "Sure, sure, sure," says the skinnier policeman sarcastically.

At this precise moment, an elderly woman with an over excessive dose of make-up on her face appears. This time, the ice-cream vendor almost suffers from a heart attack. The woman's appearance is frighteningly awful.

"You've recovered my handbag! Oh, thank you sooo much!" exclaims the woman dramatically as she practically soars towards the threesome and reclaims her brown handbag from the chubby policeman, caressing it lovingly.

"How can I ever repay you?" she asks expressively as she looks at the chubby policeman directly in the eye, her eyelashes fluttering. The chubby policeman looks flustered at the attention he's receiving and blushes hotly. "Well, it is our job after all. There's no need to repay us," he says boldly and puffes his chest out, as though trying to look manly.

"Oh no, I insist!" the woman presses on, her eyes opened wider amidst the thick mascara around them.

"Oh please! Before you make me vomit blood with your repulsive flirting, let me proclaim my innocence first will you? Tell this stupid men that I did not steal your handbag, woman!" exclaims the captor-turned-captured man, clearly very annoyed upon being ignored.

"Is he the man who stole your handbag?" asks the skinny policeman, a little jealous with the attention his comrade is receiving despite finding the woman's appearance repulsive.

"I don't really remember... It all happened so quickly," sighs the woman dramatically, as though remembering the face of the man who stole her handbag a few minutes ago is the most difficult task there is.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT WOMAN! I CAUGHT THE BLOODY SNATCH THIEF WHO STOLE YOUR HANDBAG!" the 'musician''s voice thunders.

"Oh yeah? Then where is the snatch thief you supposedly caught?" jeers the chubby policeman. True enough, the snatch thief has slipped away during the commotion.

"HE'S OBVIOUSLY GOTTEN AWAY SINCE YOU FOOLS DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE HIM WHEN HE WAS RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSES!" the 'musician' continues to holler out a string of curses and words so foul they should remain censored.

"LET ME GO YOU $$HOLES!" he hollers some more. By now, there is a crowd gathering around the group of people involved as they watch, interested.

The chubby policeman insists on taking him to the police station. There is more hollering from the 'musician' as the two policemen attempt to drag him to the nearest police station when a boy with light brown hair approaches them calmly.

"Officers, this boy is innocent. I saw him catch the snatch thief," says Fuji calmly.

There is silence from both the policemen and the 'musician' himself as they stare at Fuji with dumbfounded looks on their faces.

---

It was truly an embarrassing situation for the policemen as they had to apologise to the 'musician' for putting him through so much humiliation when all he ever did was help the policemen do their jobs. The 'musician' grudgingly accepted their apologies and gave them a description of the lucky snatch thief who got away.

The woman had also apologised to the 'musician' for she 'really could not remember how the snatch thief looked like' despite how distinct and different the snatch thief's appearance is compared to the 'musician'.

'He has a blonde head for starters' the 'musician' had thought to himself sarcastically, astounded by the woman's utter stupidity or lack of observation.

By now, the crowd has dispersed and both the policemen and the victim are already gone. Only Fuji, the 'musician' and the ice-cream vendor (who indeed, has an interesting story to tell his family later in the day) remain on the pavement.

The 'musician' looks at Fuji with a queer expression. He seems quite interested in Fuji's tennis kit as he gazes at them.

'This boy has a pretty face,' he muses to himself. 'He's even prettier than me,' he concludes, impressed by the fact that there's someone in this town who is better-looking than him.

'I must get close to him!' he thinks excitedly. After all, how often does someone as good-looking as him get to meet another person good-looking enough to challenge him? If he's friends with someone as pretty as the boy before him, his popularity is bound to accelerate!

"Yo, thanks for bailing me out there!" says the 'musician' casually.

Fuji looks at him for a while and replies, "No problem."

He turns to leave as the sun is already disappearing behind the rectangular buildings, isolated rays peaking out through the gaps between the buildings in the west side of town.

The orange hue seems to make Fuji's retreating back glow somehow; he looks almost Godly even.

"Hey!" the 'musician' calls out to Fuji. Fuji stops and turns to face him inquiringly. "I'm hungry. Care to eat with me? I'll treat you," the 'musician' invites him.

"... Alright."

Is this the start of a beautiful friendship?

---

The 'musician' chose a quiet corner at the end of the small ramen restaurant he frequently visited as the restaurant was quite packed with people who are too lazy to cook their own dinner. Fuji and the 'musician' made their orders ("2 bowls of Special Chicken Teriyaki Ramen please!" said the 'musician') and began to get acquainted with one another.

"I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kikumaru Kenji," says the 'musician' (who shall, from now onwards, be known as Kenji) politely.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Fuji Syusuke," replies Fuji, equally polite. They smile at one another for a while.

"Where are you studying?" asks Kenji as he plays with the ceramic soy sauce container in his hands.

"Yamashita High School," comes the reply.

"Yamashita High School? I'm studying there too! Which class?" exclaims Kenji excitedly.

"Class 1A. What about you?" replies Fuji.

"Class 1C," says Kenji, amazed that he had not noticed this good-looking freshmen in the school grounds before. He had initially assumed that he was the best-looking freshman in Yamashita High School as nobody else was deemed good-looking enough to challenge him- until now, of course.

"So, you play tennis?" asks Kenji, changing the topic. He glances at Fuji's blue tennis bag placed on the floor between their stools.

"Yes. Do you?" asks Fuji in return.

"I used to," replies Kenji. A nostalgic look crosses over his handsome features. "My cousin plays tennis as well. He is a good tennis player. He played in the nationals last year," he says with an awkward smile.

Fuji's eyes snap open and he's all ears.

"What's your cousin's name?" he asks, looking at Kenji with a look one can describe as stern.

"Kikumaru Eiji. Why?" says Kenji casually as two cups of iced green tea are served.

Fuji's eyes widen upon hearing this piece of information.

"You're Eiji's cousin?!?" he exclaims in surprise.

"You know Eiji?" asks Kenji, equally surprised.

"Yes, I was studying in the same school as him," Fuji explains.

"Oh. You played tennis for Seigaku Junior High too?"

"Yes."

"Wow! Then you must be very good!" Kenji remarks, impressed by his tennis background.

Fuji smiles slightly upon hearing that compliment.

"Do you play tennis, Kenji-san?" asks Fuji politely.

The same nostalgic look crosses over his handsome features.

"I used to..." he trails. Fuji waits for him to continue.

"Eiji and I used to play tennis together. We used to meet up every evening to practise," Kenji continues, his eyes boring through the cracks on the wooden counter.

"He's a very good player and he trains very hard. I tried to be like him but I was always losing to him. We took part in many small tournaments when we were younger but I always finished second best to him. Our relatives always praised him and were proud of his achievements. I guess I was a little jealous and I started to dislike tennis. So, I stopped," confides Kenji, trying to sound nonchalant.

The truth is, he used to love tennis; a lot. He dreamt of becoming a professional tennis player and join the likes of Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. He practised regularly and trained very hard to go the distance. He admired his cousin, whom he felt was extremely talented and hardworking, two qualities which are both important and admirable in an athlete.

His aim was to beat Eiji. That was his primary goal at first, his stepping stone to further tennis greatness. However, all his challenges brought disappointment after disappointment and soon, he just gave up and accepted the fact that he would never get to join the likes of the professional tennis players in the television screens after all. He couldn't even beat his cousin.

He had felt utterly dejected and this is not a subject he likes to talk about but for some reason he can't comprehend, he wants to express his bitter memory to his newfound friend. He does not know why but confiding in Fuji seems to make him feel as though a ton of weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

"So what are you doing now?" asks Fuji without giving a single personal comment regarding his story.

"I'm a guitarist for an Indie band, Jasperz. We play in several clubs around town during the weekends. You should come and listen to us sometime," replies Kenji with a smile. The nostalgic look is gone from his face as he talks about his passion in music.

Ahh.. so he is a musician after all.

"Do you miss tennis?" asks Fuji quietly. Kenji doesn't reply. As though on cue, two bowls of hot steaming ramen materialise in front of them.

"Enjoy your meal!" exclaims the cheerful waiter as he hurries off to take orders from a group of new customers.

They begin eating in silence. The chicken teriyaki ramen is good. So good that their bowls are polished within the span of 5 minutes, or perhaps less.

"This is good," comments Fuji satisfyingly.

"I know. I come here all the time," boasts Kenji although there is nothing to boast about really.

"By the way, Kenji-san. Can I ask you for a favour?" asks Fuji, his expression dead serious.

"What is it?" asks Kenji, his instincts tell him that he is going to have to make a big decision.

"Can you please join the school's tennis team?"

Tennis.

Again?

---

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **This chapter is longer than usual I guess... though not really actually . Mostly dialogue. Kazuya should be making an appearance in the next chapter. XP The tennis team is almost complete and after that, things will get underway. There will be more development for both Fuji and Aiko I hope and several conflicts arising. Hopefully, things will work out as planned. peace!


	12. Chapter 12: Rock the Tennis World!

-1**Chapter****12****Rock****the****Tennis****World**

"You got a _rock__star_to join our tennis team?" asks Aiko threateningly through gritted teeth, her arms folded as she gives her good-looking friend an accusing glare.

"He used to play tennis too, Aikawa-kun," answers Fuji straightforwardly. 'Why can't he act sheepish for a while? Always so calm and cool. Hmmph!" thinks Aiko to herself as she turns away blushing. (If Fuji's Eiji... "Ahehe!!! He's my cousin Aikawa-kun! So he's about as good as me!!! And now, there's two Kikumarus!! Yay!! Kikumaru Power!" and he'd probably be prancing around like a little monkey)

"I don't think I'll like him. He shares the same name as that greedy money-minded cafeteria man!" comments Aiko in a huff. In case you've forgotten, the greedy money-minded cafeteria man' just so happens to be their might-be future coach.

"We'll see," says Fuji as he eyes a familiar face entering the tennis courts. Aiko traces Fuji's gaze and spots...

a God.

Hair which shines like gold, texture smooth like silk. Three stars shining brightly above perfectly-formed eyebrows. Sharp chin, firm nose, perfect height...

Aiko isn't the only one staring as everyone is dead silent upon his arrival. Oh, and I think I forgot to mention the throng of girls which has gathered outside the tennis courts. Their screams of 'I love you, Kenji!' and 'You're so cool, Kenji!' are enough to make anyone feel as though they're attending a DBSK concert.

"Glad you can make it, Kenji-san," greets Fuji politely.

"Glad to see you too, Fuji-san," replies Kenji equally polite as they smile at one another.

The girls are momentarily silent. "They look almost... godly!" exclaims a girl with long black hair. Another girl fainted, her face flushing.

"AHEM!" Aiko is clearly annoyed. "Can we start our practice now?" says Aiko through gritted teeth. Her eyes insist, 'Or else'.

Kenji finally turns his attention to her and examines her as though she's some interesting specimen. "Eh...," he seems to have settled on what's so interesting about her.

"Who's this girl?" he asks turning to Fuji as he points at her. Adush! Sweat trickles down the sides of Aiko's face as she yells, "I'm a boy you punk! A boy!" Her mind says different though, 'Oh no! Oh no! Red alert! Mayday mayday!'.

Fuji chuckles at the sight and tells Kenji, "That's Aikawa-kun, Kenji-san. He's a member of the tennis team."

Kenji examines Aiko again, a little surprised. And then, he smiles. "Nice to meet you, Aikawa-kun," he says with a cheerful smile. "Hmmph!" Aiko merely grunts in reply and moves away from the duo, trying to calm her nerves.

'You're a boy huh? I smell something fishy here,' thinks Kenji to himself. 'And my instincts are always right, Aikawa-kun.' He stares meaningfully at Aiko's back, smirking.

God knows what he's going to uncover.

---

Practice is already over and almost everyone's gone home. The sun is already sinking into its horizon and the sky is a dimly lit orange abyss.

"Bye, Fuji! I have to help my father out in his restaurant! Jaa!" Kawamura waves to Fuji as he runs out of the court. Behind him is a yawning Jirou. After another one of his loud yawns he says, "Goodbye Fuji, Aikawa. It's my nap time already."

Kenji's fangirls have already gone home so he can enjoy his walk home without the squeals and screams from the boy-obsessed girls. "Jaa ne, Fuji," says Kenji as he waves at his newfound friend. His gaze falls on a jealous Aiko (she hasn't received many goodbyes, apparently) and he smiles a mysterious smile. "Goodbye, Aikawa-kun. Have a nice day," he says to Aiko and without warning, he ruffles her short hair.

"Ah- Hey! Stop that!" says Aiko, surprised just as Kenji withdraws his hand. Kenji smiles at her again and she just can feel a blush creeping to her cheeks. She tries to look threatening but struggles to imprint that expression on her face. 'Darn, I must look vulnerable...,' moans Aiko to herself as Kenji's mysterious smile widens.

"Jaa!" he says again as he exits the courts.

Breathing a sigh of relief as Aiko watches his retreating back, she hears Fuji say, "He's not bad, neh, Aikawa-kun?" Aiko turns to meet Fuji's crystal blue-eyed gaze.

Although Aiko doesn't want to admit this, Kenji is better than 'not bad'. He's spectacular. Spectacularly agile that is. His footwork is so quick he looks as though he's flying. His accuracy proves to be astounding, probably due to his brilliant eyesight (it must run in the family) and he's extremely flexible.

Aiko almost died of shock when she saw him do a split to retrieve one of Jirou's deceptively sharp volleys. Ouch! That's got to hurt.

"I guess so," replies Aiko with a small smile.

"I think our team is coming into shape now. We just need one more member," says Fuji as he looks up at the beautiful orange sky.

Aiko's expression turns dark, troubled.

After a moment's silence, Aiko decides to express her worries, "Ano... Fuji-san..." Fuji turns his attention to her with full attention. He knows she's deadly serious whenever she addresses him as Fuji-san instead of her usual 'Mr. Pretty Boy'.

"Ano... Is it possible that... well," begins Aiko. 'Shit. Spit it out. Spit it out,' Aiko urges herself.

"Yes, Aikawa-kun?" prompts Fuji as he leans closer to her. She can hear her heart pounding and her face is turning red again.

"Ah, ah... Fuji!" she exclaims and stands up abruptly. A little surprised, Fuji remains on the bench, right next to her. He waits.

"Fuji, I think we should get Kazuya into our team," says Aiko firmly.

The birds are already returning to their nests. It's time for their rest after a day's activity.

Fuji observes a mother robin, feeding her chicks a dinner of worms, their beaks wide open, awaiting the feast their mother had worked hard to prepare.

"I think so too, Aikawa-kun," says Fuji quietly. "But first, I think we should pay our future coach a visit."

---


	13. Chapter 13: The Other Kenji

-1**Chapter****13****The****Other****Kenji**

Kenji Fujiwara is spotted with a lighted cigarette between his lips behind his counter. He is counting money again, as expected. He does not look up at the sound of the two young tennis players' footsteps.

"What do you kids want this time?" he asks, his cigarette stub moving up and down with the motion of his lips. His nimble fingers thumb through the 1000 yen notes in a quick and precise manner.

"Fujiwara-san. We think it's about time you start coaching," says Aiko bluntly. Fujiwara-san's fingers stop momentarily and he looks up, puzzled. "And why is that?" he asks as he finally puts down his wad of money, a sign that Aiko and Fuji have his full attention.

Aiko takes a deep breath. Somehow, that casual-looking old man tends to make her nervous. It's as though he can see right through her. Plus, he is after all a former tennis great, a man whose skills are probably much superior compared to hers.

"We've got a complete team now. All the members are very good and we've already started practising. However, we still need a coach to guide us. We can't go very far without your help," Aiko explains. Technically, she's not very accurate. They still lack one member.

Fujiwara-san strokes his stubble thoughtfully and says, "You've got a complete team you say?" Aiko nods awkwardly. He can't possibly know, can he?

"So who is your seventh member?" asks Fujiwara-san casually, as though inquiring about the weather. 'Impossible! This ignorant old man who does nothing but sell buns and counts money all day actually knows what's going on in the tennis courts at the far end of the school?' laments Aiko in her brain. She groans inwardly. 'No friggin way...'

"Actually, we're hoping that you'll help us for that matter," says someone who has been quiet the whole time. Aiko glances at Fuji's expression out of sheer habit as she knows that all the expression she's ever going to get out of that pretty boy is an expressionless one.

"Oh?" Fujiwara-san raises an eye brow.

---

"Sorry kids, but there's no way I'm going to be involved in this," says Fujiwara-san after Fuji has explained that they intend to get Kazuya into the team. He folds his arms and continues, "After all, it's your job to find the players though I must say, I've never expected both of you to be able to find players like them in such a short time. I must give you credit there although your efforts though they'll probably go to waste since your deadline is tomorrow, in case you've forgotten."

_Tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow. Creeps in this petty pace from day to day._

'Now, who is the famous guy who said that?' ponders Aiko to herself.

"I understand, Fujiwara-san, but as a father, shouldn't you be concerned about your son's future?" asks Fuji calmly.

'Ah, I remember now! It's Shakespeare!' thinks Aiko happily.

There is silence between Fuji and Fujiwara-san as the latter narrows his eyes at Fuji.

'Ah??' wonders Aiko. 'What just happened?'

Pause. Rewind. Play.

_"I understand, Fujiwara-san, but as a father, shouldn't you be concerned about your son's future?" asks Fuji calmly._

It takes a few seconds for Aiko to digest the facts she has just nearly missed.

"AHHHH! Fujiwara-san is Kazuya's father?" exclaims Aiko in shock.

Fujiwara-san ignores Aiko and removes his cigarette stub, pressing its tip onto the glass ashtray on his counter.

"You're pretty sharp, aren't you, Fuji Syusuke?" says Fujiwara-san coldly.

"I just got lucky. I came across your biography in an old tennis magazine. Your son was mentioned in the article as the 'rising tennis star of Japan'. Are you just going to ignore your son now that he's quit the tennis scene?" says Fuji quietly.

Aiko looks at Fuji in wonder. She's never heard him spoken to an adult like that before. Heck, she's never heard him speak like that to anyone. He's usually over-polite and sickeningly sweet to practically everyone. Sure, he gets pretty icy and scary at times but... to an adult?

"Don't you teach me how to treat my son. He needs to toughen up anyway. He can't expect me to coo over him like a mother bird as sits in a corner and licks his wounds. He's a man now," replies Fujiwara-san, unperturbed by Fuji's accusations.

"Yes, but he's still a child," says Fuji coldly. "Your child."

There is another awkward pause. Fujiwara-san looks as though he's got nothing to say and he doesn't have to.

"Come on, Aikawa-kun. We shouldn't disturb Fujiwara-san any longer," says Fuji in his usual gentle voice. His slightly cold face reverts to its undecipherable mask. "H-hai!" answers Aiko, startled.

They turn and walk away from the father of Kazuya Fujiwara. However, within just a few steps, Fuji stops abruptly and turns to face Fujiwara-san. His icy blue eyes meet a pair of black ones. "Kazuya's injury. It has healed a long time ago, hasn't it?" says Fuji. Smiling again, the tennis prodigy turns and walks further away from the former tennis prodigy, leaving him in deep thought.

---

Aiko rubs her eyes sleepily as she makes her way to school. She can't help it. She hasn't had enough sleep the night before, too busy thinking about the conversation between Fuji and Fujiwara-san. What did Fuji mean about Kazuya's injury? Kazuya couldn't have faked his injury, could he? When Aiko had inquired about this matter to Fuji as they were walking home yesterday, Fuji had not said a word. In fact, he had been silent throughout the walk and the only words he had said were, "Sayonara, Aikawa-kun," to which Aiko had replied with another death threat for calling her Aikawa-kun.

'No matter! I'll have to take this into my own hands!" thinks Aiko to herself. Yes, that's right. She's not about to give up and she's going to do everything in her power to drag Kazuya to the tennis courts, even if she has to drag him by the ear! She will lose to nobody.

Upon reaching the school gates of Yamashita High School, she scales the stairs to the topmost floor of Block A. She walks down the unfamiliar corridor boldly. The corridor is crowded with students, most of whom are taller that Aiko (Yes, she knows she's short) and some of them are caught staring at the little boy trespassing their zone.

"Hey, there you little punk! What are you doing here?" asks a thug surrounded by four of his friends, stopping Aiko at her tracks. He's a typical rebel- gazillion piercings all over the body with metal rings portruding here and there, hair dyed a bright lime green despite the school rules prohibiting so, the usual.

"Can't you see I'm walking, you Christmas tree," replies Aiko, grouchy due to the lack of sleep and the many thoughts swimming in her mind. "How dare you be rude to a 2nd year! Who do you think you are, freshman?" bellows the thug in the usual way thugs bellow to scare their victims. "You've just answered your own question. I'm a freshman," answers Aiko cooly and she walks past the group of thugs.

However, she's stopped yet again by a rough hand on her shoulder. "Hold on a second you punk!" he bellows again. He turns Aiko around roughly and is about to land a readied fist on her when a hand shoots out and grabs his fist before it can land on Aiko's delicate face.

Aiko opens her eyes (she closed them?) and stares in wonder at her saviour. Kazuya Fujiwara. Perfect! Just the man she's looking for.

"This boy is looking for me. I'm sorry for his rudeness. He will know better than to cross you again," says Kazuya calmly. His eyes tell a different story. They seem to portray a warning, a threat to be more exact. The green-haired thug withdraws his fist and says smugly, "You better teach your little friend here a lesson or my friends and I will teach him for you." With that, he leaves with his other colourful friends.

"What do you want?" demands Kazuya cooly with the same dangerous tinge in his eyes. Aiko tells herself not to be deterred by his threatening aura and blurts, "I want you to join the tennis team!"

Kazuya narrows his eyes and hisses, "You're wasting my time." He turns away, intending to leave Aiko where she is.

"No, wait! Please, Kazuya-san!" shouts Aiko as she grabs Kazuya's arm to prevent him from leaving. Her brash actions attract the attention of the students around her. "Please come back! We really need you! Without you, we can't take part in the district tournament. So please, Kazuya-san. We've put in so much effort, all of us! And now, we're all aiming to do well in the tournament, so please please fight with us," says Aiko desperately. She looks as though she's close to tears.

"Like I said," says Kazuya cooly. "You're wasting your time." He tugs his arm at of Aiko's grasp and turns his back to Aiko again, striding forward. Aiko refuses to give up. She runs ahead of Kazuya and blocks his path, spreading both her arms out with a determined look on her face.

"I won't take no for an answer! I won't let you throw your talent away!" says Aiko defiantly. Her eyes are already brimming with tears. 'I cannot cry! Boys don't cry!" Aiko tells herself repeatedly. By now, an audience has gathered and they are all whispering to one another excitedly.

"This is none of your business," says Kazuya and he glares so hard at Aiko that nobody would have been surprised if she just burst into flames. He pushes Aiko's arm away and strides past her. She runs ahead of Kazuya again and this time, much to the surprise of everyone present, she kneels down and pulls his arm, refusing to let him go.

"Please, Kazuya-san! Please join the tennis team!" she begs. Yes, she, Aiko, the supposedly arrogant and self -conceited cross-dresser is on her knees begging for someone she barely knows to join the school's tennis team. Has she sunk to this level or is it part of the female's hormones? You know, the over-emotional cries-everytime-she-sees-a-sad-and-touching-movie part? After all, Aiko, despite how tomboyish she may be, is still just a girl.

Now any ordinary guy would not have been able to resist Aiko's teary-eyed expression but please remember that we're dealing with a stubborn and proud man here. Besides, Kazuya thinks Aiko is a boy, and big boys don't cry.

"Stop acting like a little girl," says Kazuya coldly and he pulls his arm away again. Aiko remains kneeling on the floor as the busybodies gasp and exchange opinions with one another, eager to spread the latest high school gossip. "Stop right there, Kazuya-san!" yells Aiko, eyes on the floor. Surprisingly, he obliges. Looking at Aiko at one eye, he perks his ears and listens to what last words she may have reserved for him.

"Your injury," says Aiko, raising her gaze to meet his. "Your injury. It's healed hasn't it?" asks Aiko calmly.

Kazuya looks slightly surprised by her change in topic. He turns and walks toward Aiko until he is right in front of her. He squats down until his gaze is level to hers, his nose almost touching hers. "Who made you think so?" he asks softly in wonder.

Trying to keep her voice from shaking, she answers as firm as possible, "Fuji."

Upon hearing his name, Kazuya's eyes widen for a while and then he laughs. That's right, he laughs. He laughs and laughs in a crouching position, clutching his knees in front of all the other observant students, some of whom are his classmates. But does he care? Aiko looks at him, puzzled. Why is he laughing? Why indeed? Has she said something funny?

Kazuya stops his bizarre reaction and smiling widely, says to Aiko, "This is really interesting. Fuji Syusuke is smarter than I thought. Tensai... eh?" He looks as though he's talking more to himself than to Aiko. "I want to crush him. I want to erase that sick smile off his face. I want to beat him more than ever."

He straightens and looks straight into Aiko's eyes. "If joining the tennis team means that I'll get a greater shot at beating Fuji into pulp, so be it."

Without another word, he leaves a bewildered Aiko behind, along with a big group of enthusiastic gossipers.

---


	14. Chapter 14: Never Stop Running

-1**Chapter****14****Never****Stop****Running**

_Dear Diary,_

_We'll finally begin our first official training tomorrow! I'm really excited! _

_I was very happy when I saw Kazuya walking towards us with his familiar red Yonex tennis bag during training this evening. We could finally take part in the district tournament! _

_I could feel the tension between Fuji and Kazuya though. Fuji tries to act nice towards Kazuya but he seems so keen on firing Fuji up all the time but his efforts are as futile as lighting up a cube of ice. _

_Fuji insisted that Kazuya should resume his post as captain but Kazuya refused, saying that it would be 'too much of a bother'. So Fuji remains as the captain! I think he'll make a great captain. Wait, what am I saying? He is a great captain! For some reason, none of us dares to cross him despite how gentle and fragile he may seem. Heck, even I try not to insult him too much ever since the incident with Fujiwara-san. _

_Speaking of Fujiwara-san, he was very surprised about Kazuya's return. When I told him about it, his cigarette stub fell out of his mouth and almost set his yen notes on fire. Obviously, he hadn't much choice but to accept his responsibility as coach of the tennis team, though he seemed pretty reluctant about it. Well, at least he didn't try to cheat his way around it._

_The district tournament is in a month's time. I wonder how we'll fare. Granpa was certain that we won't even be able to make it past the first round. Hah! What does he know? I'm confident that with Fuji as captain, we'll definitely make it all the way! _

_Fuji Syusuke. That pretty boy... He's such a great tennis player, plus he's got the face most girls would swoon over. I really want to beat him one day._

_-Aiko Wataru_

---

The weather can be described as steaming hot if it is a mug of coffee. The sun is mercilessly glaring down upon the pitiful earthlings. If you are to step out of a door at this very moment, sweat will be tricking down the sides of your face instantaneously.

This is the weather the Yamashita High School tennis team has to endure on their first actually training. Fuji and Aiko were surprised to see Fujiwara-san already at the tennis courts before anyone else had arrived. And right now, at 2.30p.m. sharp, he takes charge.

"Alright! Line up you bunch of lazy scumbags!" he hollers as all the tennis players, freshmen and seniors alike (some of the seniors practically begged to be allowed to return to the tennis team after Kazuya joined the team) stumble clumsily into a line. Rather automatically, the 'real' tennis team members form the first row, the seniors form the second while the freshmen form the third.

"I may look like a kind, friendly and generous man-," he begins. 'Oh no, you don't,' thinks Aiko to herself. "And I am a kind, friendly and generous man." Aiko tries to keep herself from gagging. "But," continues Fujiwara-san after a dramatic pause. "Don't expect me to be a kind, friendly and generous coach, as I assure you, I am not." His piercing gaze looks absolutely dangerous. Aiko can see where Kazuya got his from. Some of the seniors (or freshmen?) behind Aiko gulp nervously.

"Okay, let's start our training regime for today," he announces as he looks down at a red opened notebook in his left hand, black pen in his right. "Running," he says and he looks up at all the young faces before him, eagerly waiting for his further instruction.

"That's it! Start running!" he says much to the confusion of those in front of him. Run, okay, run. How many rounds? Any time limit? Run where?

Before anyone can question him, Fujiwara-san walks towards the nearest bench, sheltered by a large old sakura tree and sits there. He writes something down in his notebook, sets it aside and removes a stopwatch from his pocket.

Aiko continues staring at the new coach when Kazuya and Fuji begins to run. The rest follows suit and looking back at the old man, Aiko follows as well.

---

They've been running for 45 minutes. Running, mind you, not the typical casual jog in the park. Kazuya and Fuji are still way up front with Aiko, Kenji, Jirou, Ukita and Kawamura ("BURNING!" Kenji, feeling a little mischievous, passes a stray racquet to Kawamura) trailing behind. Some of the freshmen have stopped a while ago, clinging onto the green wire fence, panting and heaving. Quite a few of the seniors have given up as well. Aiko can see a particular boy with spiky gelled-up hair and a very peculiar nose panting alongside the freshmen. 'Hmmph, looks like someone's got a taste of his own medicine!' thinks Aiko with a surge of satisfaction.

Aiko continues running but she seems to have a little trouble breathing evenly. The scorching sun isn't making it any easier. "Ahh!!! Hatsui hatsui!" complains Jirou. So far, Aiko has never seen him sweating so much before, and he looks more awake than ever.

Aiko closes her eyes, her legs feel sore and they continue to push the ground. There's no way she's going to give up.

---

Eventually, Aiko gives up, along all the other tennis players, all except for two.

"Aisha... Kazuya and Fuji are still running?" says Ukita in disbelief. He has removed his shirt and is now bending over while clutching his knees, panting. His body is glistening with sweat. Who says women are the only ones who glow when they sweat?

Kenji, who is lying on the grassy ground outside the tennis court with his eyes closed says, "They are mad. Let them run." Even Kawamura has lost all his 'burning fuel'. He now lies face down on the middle of the track with his shirt off, too exhausted to say anything.

Kenji pulls himself up into a sitting position and looks at Aiko who is seating against the fence with her head leaning on her knees. "Saa, Aikawa-kun. Why don't you take off your shirt? Aren't you hot?" asks Kenji with a meaningful smile.

Shocked Aiko looks at Kenji in the eye, thinking, 'Does he know?' But that's impossible! How can he possibly have found out? The rest didn't notice anything, did they?

Thankfully, she is saved by our long-forgotten freshman, Kikusho who bellows, "Hey! Look! Both Fuji and Kazuya have stopped." Aiko's attention is diverted to the duo who have stopped running at the same time somewhere at the opposite side of the tennis court. Like the others before, they are panting heavily, both clutching the wire fence, sweat dripping down their faces.

Aiko glances at her watch. 4.30p.m. Those two have been running for one and a half hours? That is potentially hazardous to one's lungs.

Upon realising that all his charges have stopped running, Fujiwara-san blows a bright red whistle he conjures out of Kamisama-knows-where, prompting the incredibly worn-out tennis players to get back in line.

---

"Do you know why I told all of you to run?" asks Fujiwara-san as he paces back and forth along the line of tennis players. He is wearing a black Yonex cap, a red collared T-shirt and a pair of white tennis shorts.

"To kick us out of the tennis team?" offers Kikusho warily.

"Why would I do that?" asks Fujiwara-san curious, stopping. "Because last time-," he begins but a nudge from Saeki Unahara, the biggest bully in the tennis team not very long ago, tells Kikusho to shut up.

"Anyway," starts Fujiwara-san and he continues pacing again. "Tennis, is a game which requires a lot of stamina," he explains. "The fittest usually wins."

"I have recorded the time taken for all of you to use up your stamina and guess what? Only two of you are truly fit to last an actual tennis match," says Fujiwara-san. No prizes for guessing who the two people are.

"And that also, may not be sufficient," he adds.

"In a tennis match, you have to serve, run, hit, smash and none of this can be done without using up energy. Tennis can be gruelling. If you think it's about looking cool while hitting a ball back and forth, you can leave. Tennis is not a glamour sport. Roger Federer had to sweat like a pig every day to get to where he is now," he continues.

"Of course, you can argue by saying that the district tournament only requires you to play one set but if your narrow mind can only see as far as the district tournament, you are wasting your time, and mine as well," he says casually. More gulps as he pierces his audience with another one of his glares.

"Anyway, the first thing I am trying to teach you bunch of ignorant kids is this: Never stop running." He ends his speech momentarily and looks at everyone in the eye.

The clouds are already beginning to shield the sun's wrath, much to the relief of all its victims. The wind is making its presence felt, evaporating the sweat on the tennis players' aching bodies.

"Today's training will stop here. I don't think any of you have the energy to do much after this. See you tomorrow," says the coach. The team bows simultaneously upon hearing the cue from Kenji ("One, two.") and shouts, "Thank you, sir!" with as much energy as their body permits.

And so ends the first day of training, a not-so-eventful yet very painful regime.

Let's just hope that they're not going to be doing this every day.

---


	15. Chapter 15: What's a Girl To Do?

**Chapter 15: What's a Girl to Do?**

The days of training after their fateful first day are just as gruelling as the latter, if not worse. One week has passed and in the course of one week, they had ran at least 50km, performed at least 1000 push-ups, sit-ups, back-arches, burpeys and other things to painful to be recalled. Just yesterday, Fujiwara-san had incorporated 30 minutes of agility training into their already-crammed-and-packed training schedule.

So far, they have not lifted their racquets. Not even once.

"It's as though we're training for a marathon or a hepthlon instead of a tennis competition," complained Kikusho once. Unfortunately for him, Fujiwara-san's sensitive ears picked up his complaint from a distance away and seconds later, Kikusho was seen attempting to execute an impossibly painful way of doing push-ups- legs high up against the wall almost vertically above the head. He only managed to do it twice before falling over on his back. Fujiwara-san felt no mercy, insisting that he finished his 50 push-ups.

When everyone was heading home, poor Kikusho was only at 28 and already had tears streaming down his cheeks.

That served as a very effective warning to the others as to not go against Fujiwara-san. As lazy or flamboyant as he may seem, he means business.

Even now, the members of the Yamashita High School tennis team are hard at work. They have already ran for 50 minutes. Another 10 minutes to go and everyone is desperately trying to get to the front. Fujiwara-san punishes the ten players who arrive the latest all the time. The punishments seem to get scarier and scarier each time.

As usual, Fuji and Kazuya are way ahead of everyone else. Jirou is surprisingly right behind them. He found his spirit after finishing in the top ten last of the last in the last training session. Fujiwara-san was merciless in punishing the young tennis prodigy, and Jirou definitely does not want to go through the horror again. Because of that incident, he could not sleep through the whole night. That was the last straw.

Following closely behind his tail (if he has one) are Kawamura, Kenji and Ukita. Then, there's the unimportant people who are only mentioned here in this paragraph because we won't want our heros to finish last, will we?

But hang on a pickle of a second.

Where is our heroine?

'Ugh... Of all days to suffer from period cramps,' thinks Aiko miserably as she forces her leadened legs forward, trying very hard to ignore the pain. For the first time, she's dead last. Yes, last. Even slower than the chubby freshman, Chuma who's been very determined to catch up with the others lately.

Aiko doesn't have the energy to feel embarrassed.

'So... tired...' she thinks, her pupils threatening to roll upwards. Her breaths are irregular. Sweat is trickling down the sides of her face uncomfortably. However, instead of feeling warm, she feels cold. Sure, there's no sun that evening (thank whoever it is controlling the weather for that) but it's not supposed to be cold either.

She feels wind blowing from either side of her. Two figures cut in from her left and right side, charging ahead of her.

She sees a head of soft brown hair and another of spiky jet-black hair.

'Oh,' she thinks miserably. 'So Fuji and Kazuya have caught up with me.'

The one thing Aiko secretly fears the most is appearing weak.

Before, when she was playing in the women's singles events in the international competitions, she would panic before entering the court.'What if I lose? What if I can't read her game? What if she can retrieve my serve?' So many what-ifs will be running through her mind.

By the time she enters the court, she's already like a frightful little kitten, waiting to be slaughtered by a hungry tiger. True enough, she never won a game against a foreign opponent. It's not because of the fact that they're about one or two heads taller than her (what do their countries feed them?) but because she's a chicken, a coward. She's grown so terrified of losing that she can never seem to be able to show her true prowess on court.

But that's just in the international level. In the national level? Well, she's got her pride and reputation to keep up, which is why she had never lost a match on home soil, which is also why she's dressing up as a boy to play in the men's event in her own country. She thinks that if she can win in the men's event, she might have the confidence to win the freakishly tall women outside Japan.

But if she's going to run this slow, even a ten-year-old Maria Sharapova can beat her.

'I can't give up now,' thinks Aiko, desperate to keep up with the pair in front of her. Despite how much she tries, they seem to be going further and further away from her. Her vision is becoming worse. She can't hear anything and her head is spinning, throbbing, painful. Speckles of black begin to shroud her vision.

'I can't give up now,' Aiko cries out in her heart as she reaches a pale hand forward as though begging for the two young men in front of her to wait.

Soon, everything turns black, and Aiko collapses onto the ground. She hears and sees no more.

---

"Please watch over this young man for me. Here's the key. I'm sorry I have to leave now. Remember to lock the door before you go."

"Thank you."

These are the first words Aiko hears when she regains conciousness. She opens her eyes slightly only to see the bare ceiling of the nurse's office.

The jingling of keys as they are transferred from one hand to the other, the creaking sound of the door as it is opened and the sound of slamming as it is closed. Then, there are faint footsteps approaching her bed. The sound of a metal chair being drawn slightly and the owner of the footsteps occupies said chair. Aiko quickly shuts her eyes again.

For some reason, she doesn't want to let Fuji know she's awake. She's not quite sure why, but she doesn't want to leave the room so soon, and she hopes Fuji doesn't either.

Somehow, Aiko can feel Fuji's gaze on her face. She can feel a faint blush creeping to her cheeks and she fights it. She can't let Fuji see her blush!

"Foolish girl," mutters Fuji so softly that Aiko could barely hear what he said.

Aiko freezes. Did Fuji just say what she thought she heard him say? Did he say girl? As in female? The dress-wearing type? As in... girl?

Okay, no. There isn't a spelling error. I know how to spell 'guy' correctly, thank you very much.

So it all comes down to one thing now, doesn't it?

Fuji knows that Aiko is in actual fact, a girl.

Or does he?

Perhaps he was referring to someone else? After all, Aiko didn't know what happened after she had fainted. Was there any girl around at that time?

'Think, Aiko, think!' Aiko wills herself, trying hard to remember the setting of her dramatic collapse.

Fujiwara-san was sitting on a bench, jotting notes down and glancing at his stopwatch from time to time.

The usual fangirls were gathered nearby, cheering Kenji on whilst a few others were checking out each player, trying to decide who is the most eligible bachelor (for they are, surprisingly, all single). Fuji couldn't have been referring to any of them, could he?

Aiko ponders at this for a while, fearful.

She can't let her secret be known. What if he tells on her? What if the school finds out? She'll never be allowed to play men's tennis ever again. Well, of course, she's never been allowed to in the first place but if her secret is exposed, her disguise as a guy can never be used again.

But then again, it's Fuji. Fuji Syusuke. The nice and gentle boy who is always helpful to everyone, a teacher's pet, a role model for students. Would he do such a thing to Aiko?

'I'm just going to have to trust Mr. Pretty Boy. Besides, I'm not even sure if he knows. I'll just wait and see what happens,' decides Aiko. With this decided, she stirs and yawns forcibly.

"Are you awake, Aikawa-kun?" Fuji's voice is calm and soothing.

"Where am I?" asks Aiko sleepily although she is very much aware of her surroundings.

"You're in the nurse's office," answers Fuji.

"Who brought me here?" asks Aiko curiously. Now this, she doesn't know.

"I did," answers Fuji simply.

Aiko blushes despite herself but she tries to hide it by rubbing her eyes.

"Do you think you can stand? Or walk? The nurse already left. She gave me the key and asked me to lock up before we leave," says Fuji, concerned.

"Oh please! I'm not some sissy! Of course I can walk!" Aiko answers as rough and as manly as possible. No harm trying to protect her identity, right?

Fuji smiles and Aiko tries hard to not read to deeply into that smile. After all, he's always smiling. Who knows, he might even die smiling one day. Aiko certainly won't be surprised, though she definitely hopes that it won't happen any time soon, or any time, ever.

"So, shall we go?" asks Fuji, standing up with a smile as he offers a hand to her.

The setting sun illuminates Fuji's figure from the window behind, making him somewhat God-like. Awed, Aiko takes his hand.

"Of course," she says.

The sun sets beneath the horizon.


	16. Chapter 16: And Now, There are Two

**Chapter 16: And Now, There Are Two**

The next morning, Aiko arrives late to school, yet again. Out of the usual 5 days of school, Aiko is most likely to arrive late on at least 3 of those days.

She's got very solid reasons for this. Firstly, tennis is a very tiring sport, and Fujiwara-san is a very punishing coach. Secondly, her alarm clock is broken. Thirdly, she keeps forgetting to buy one.

Done.

Fortunately for her, she manages to arrive to class before her scary homeroom teacher, Marina-sensei. She will definitely not like another duster thrown onto her face.

So far, it has been an ordinary day for Aiko. So why is it that all her classmates are staring at her, some sniggering and nudging one another as they do?

Aiko doesn't usually smile much in the morning but now, she manages an awkward smile before heading to her table, puzzled. 'What's the joke?' she thinks to herself. It seems as though they know something that she doesn't, something about her, as though they've found out a secret.

Oh, Kami-sama. No, no way. They can't possibly know, can they? How can they possibly have found out about her true identity?

Aiko's heart stops beating. Not literally, of course.

Fuji.

Fuji Syusuke.

Would he do this to her?

But why?

Aiko glances over fearfully at Fuji's desk before taking her seat. The light-brown haired boy who has his biology book opened on his table seems to notice Aiko's eyes on him and turns to smile at her. A smile which says nothing but hides a thousand things. Or so Aiko thinks.

"Aikawa! Your face looks pretty pale. Are you alright?" asks one of her classmates. She turns to him and manages a smile. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

"I heard that you collapsed during training yesterday," her classmate continues. A few other boys join in the conversation, eager to know more about something they seem to already know about.

"Well, yeah. I wasn't feeling well," says Aiko, trying to sound confident while rubbing the back of her head nervously. "Fever," she adds, a lie, obviously.

"Well, it had its advantage though, doesn't it?" asks the same classmate cheekily, as though hinting something.

'What the hell is he talking about,' thinks Aiko, feeling even more puzzled than before.

"Don't you think so, Tsukino-chan?" he and his other friends glance over at Tsukino who is trying desperately to conceal her face behind her Japanese-translated copy of Pride and Prejudice. Even so, anyone can tell that her face has turned the colour of a ripened tomato.

Time to fix the jigsaw puzzle.

"Huh? What's going on?" asks Aiko who doesn't even need to conceal her confusion and bewilderment any more.

"You didn't know?" teases her classmate with a wide smile. His friends wear a similarly knowing smile.

"Tsukino yelled at your tennis coach yesterday. She told him off for putting you through such a tough training regime despite how weak and unwell you looked. It's the first time anyone has seen her shout like that. I mean, come on, it's Tsukino we are talking about! Since when does she raise her voice to anybody? She's not like the other loud-mouthed cows we have in this class," he explains.

Before Aiko can ask for any further explanation, her classmate is being attacked by all the girls in the class whom he had referred to as 'loud-mouthed cows'.

It takes a while for the truth to sink in and Aiko's brain is busy trying to piece all the information together.

Oh. So, nobody knows her secret. As for Fuji, perhaps he was referring to Tsukino back in the nurse's office. So, she's not going to be expelled after all. Right?

Aiko breathes a sigh of relief.

The jigsaw puzzle has been completed.

Aiko glances over at Fuji again. He's absorbed in the fundamentals of the DNA, gazing intently at his book. She wonders what the mechanism working his ultra-bright mind looks like. While hers may be compared to that of a bicycle, Fuji's would be a bullet train. Or a jet, which ever the faster one.

Aiko doesn't understand why, but she is secretly disappointed that Fuji doesn't know her true identity after all. What will be his reaction if he ever finds out?

---

The school bell rings for the last time that day, signifying the end of lessons and the start of play.

Aiko walks down the corridor, already dressed in her usual tennis wear- her favourite Nike blue cap, an ordinary white T-shirt and a pair of black Yonex shorts. She carries her black tennis bag on one shoulder.

Upon reaching the school tennis courts, she sees the usual group of fangirls, already gathered at their usual spot behind the green-wire fence where they can observe the tennis players at the best angle. Aiko sighs. Honestly, don't these girls have anything better to do?

As she walks towards the door leading to the courts, she sees something being pushed out in front of her. Something white.

A towel.

And the hands which hold it out belongs to a certain girl with fair rosy skin and long black hair the colour ebony.

Tsukino Miyazaki.

"Um, ano... Aikawa-kun," she says nervously, her eyes not daring to meet Aiko's. Her face is clearly very red.

"Um... Towel," she finally says and pushes the towel towards Aiko. Aiko takes it, feeling a little surprised. Feeling relieved and satisfied with herself, Tsukino moves away from Aiko, her footsteps quick as she practically runs to the library located right beside the tennis courts.

"Thank you," says Aiko to nobody in particular as she stares at the white towel. That's just strange.

"Ah! Young puppies in love!" exclaims an all-too-familiar lazy-ish voice.

Aiko turns around to see Kikumaru Kenji and Ukita Ishida walking side by side, already in their tennis gear.

As though welcoming their presence, the fangirls scream in delight, much to the annoyance of Aiko.

Aiko narrows her eyes at Kenji with the look of a very irritated Echizen Ryoma.

"It's none of your business," says Aiko coolly although she very much prefers to bellow, "She's not my girlfriend! I'm a girl for goodness' sake!'

"Ah! My cute little Aikawa-kun all grown up!" says Kenji cheekily as he places an arm over Aiko's shoulder casually and messes up her hair. "Don't you think so, Ukita?" he asks.

Ukita smiles and shakes his head at his teammate's antics. Lately, Ukita and Kenji have been getting along very well. They have been classmates for a while now but they had never spoken to one another until both joined the tennis team. Now, they look as though they've known each other for years.

"Get your filthy hands off me!" exclaims Aiko as she tries to escape from Kenji's choking grasp.

"Why, Aikawa-kun! How can you say that to daddy. Don't you love daddy any more?" he says in a cooing voice as he messes up her hair more.

"GAH!!! Stop it or I will spread rumours to all your fangirls saying that you are gay!" yells Aiko, struggling desperately to escape from his grasp.

Thankfully, she is saved by none other than Kazuya Fujiwara. He separates the duo without needing much strength and flicks Kenji at the nose. "Honestly, you shouldn't bully our juniors, Kenji," he says coolly.

"Hai, hai, Kazuya-san!" says Kenji cheerily, lifting his hands in front of him as a sign of surrender.

The courts start to fill up with the arrival of Kawamura, Jirou and Fuji as well as the other not-so important people.

And then comes Fujiwara-san.

"Everyone, get into your lines," yells Kikusho who was appointed by Fujiwara-san to do the greetings for every training session, much to his delight. Looks like his flapping mouth can be put to some use after all. The players scrambled quickly into their lines.

"Good evening sir!" he bellows and bows energetically. The rest of the players chorus after him and bow at the same time.

"Good evening, good evening," greets Fujiwara-san casually, as though there is something else on his mind. The players stand straight in neat ordered lines and wait patiently for the coach's further instructions.

"Before we begin our training session for the day, I would like to make an announcement," he begins. "Next week, I'll be organising a ranking competition among all of you players. It is to choose the players who will be representing the school in the district tournament which is just around the corner and also to choose the captain of the team," says Fujiwara-san. He pauses for a while and looks at all the players as though waiting for his words to sink into their shallow minds.

"I will split all of you into two groups- Group A and Group B. Group A will consist of the 7 players who I deem are potential regulars (no prize guessing who) while the rest of you will be placed in Group B. You will play with all the players in your group and you will be awarded points with each win. You will be ranked according to the number of points you collect at the end of the competition. The top 3 players in Group B will be promoted to Group A for training after the ranking. In other words, after the ranking, you will all be split into two groups for training. I will be the coach for Group A. As for Group B, you will be coached by a very capable tennis coach from this school itself. She, yes, she, used to play tennis regularly during her schooling years and won quite a number of small competitions," explains Fujiwara-san.

Upon hearing the sound of fresh footsteps approaching the court, Fujiwara-san's speech stops momentarily. His eyes are on the newcomer as his charges turn to look at the stranger.

"Hello, Marina-sensei. I was just talking about you," says Fujiwara-san to a young woman dressed in a tracksuit with her hair tied back to a rough pony-tail. "You can skip the introductions, Fujiwara, and get straight to work," she replies, folding her arms as she gazes intently at all the young tennis players staring back at her.

And now, there are two.


	17. Chapter 17: Just Another Manic Monday

**Chapter 17: Just Another Manic Monday**

The library of Yamashita High School is a very good place to study. Heck, it's so good that nobody ever goes there except for a handful who truly require such a place.

Aiko is never one to study hard for her exams nor expected to top the class academically (she'll just leave that to Fuji) but here she is in the school library, finishing a mountainous pile of homework.

'I really shouldn't have left them till today,' thinks Aiko to herself, regretting the countless times she had dumped her books onto her study table and jumped into bed, totally ignoring the advisory cries of her books.

All her homework are due tomorrow and she is nowhere near finishing. She's now stuck at some incredibly tough algebraic problem which would have taken the incredibly smart Fuji Syusuke less than one minute to solve. 'Damn it, whatever happened to beauty but no brains?' thinks Aiko to herself, feeling extremely frustrated with herself.

Giving up, she slams her pencil onto the table and stretches her arms upwards, releasing a big yawn as she does so.

She folds her arms onto the table and nestles her chin onto them, shutting her eyes. 'So tired... And the ranking will begin on Monday... That's two days from now.'

"Ano, Aikawa-kun?"

Aiko looks up only to see the familiar face of Tsukino Miyazaki.

"Ah, Tsukino!" Aiko winces a little as she says the name aloud, aware of the fact that she did not address her with the proper designation. "What's up?" she asks, trying to relax.

Tsukino seems to take a pretty long time to come up with an answer for there were plenty of "Um"s and "Ano"s before she says, completely abashed, "I came here to see you, Aikawa-kun." She looks down at her shoes, trying to hide her blushing face. Aiko can almost sympathise with the poor girl's discomfort. 'Wait till she finds out that the guy she's in love with is in fact, a girl,' thinks Aiko to herself a little sadistically.

"Really?" says Aiko in surprise, trying very hard to feign innocence. "Whatever for?"

Tsukino needs time to think again at this question and upon mustering an ounce of confidence, she looks up to face Aiko and says, "Um, the ranking competition is coming and I've noticed that you've been sleeping in class a lot more than usual lately ('Thank you very much for noticing,' thinks Aiko to herself) so I thought that I could offer some help... if you want any that is..." her voice trails off when she finally notices the amount of words she had blurted out in a span of a few seconds and returns to her shoe-gazing, shy self.

Aiko looks at her for a moment.

'Would I be like her right now, as embarrassed as she is if I am to someday confess to Fuji Syusuke not as a boy of course, but as a girl?' Aiko can't help but ponder.

What is she thinking?

Aiko shuts her eyes and shakes the image out of her cerebrum.

Her? With Mr. Pretty Boy?

HAH!

She's said it before and she'll say it again: She hates pretty boys. Period. Done.

Now, regarding this pretty girl over here...

"Actually, I do have some problems with my homework," Aiko confesses with an encouraging smile. "I suck at algebra (everything to do with math for that matter)."

Tsukino gives Aiko one of those brilliant smiles which has lured so many boys to fall for her in the past and present and occupies the chair beside Aiko. She immediately launches into the fundamentals of solving algebraic problems whilst Aiko listens attentively. Tsukino is not a bad teacher really.

From a corner, a pair of intense blue eyes gaze at the oblivious Aiko. What thoughts lie behind those eyes are anybody's guess.

--

_It__'__s just another manic Monday, I wish it was Sunday, Cause that__'__s my funday, __My I don't have to runday__, it__'__s just another manic Monday. -The Bangles_

Monday is finally here.

There's been quite a lot of buzz about the ranking competition in the past week. Everybody's finally taken notice of the tennis team, not just the fangirls, mind you, but also the boys. Basketball players, athletes, swimmers, everybody.

There's a lot of electricity in the air as the curious students of Yamashita High School turned up in full force at the tennis courts to catch all the action. Fangirls are busy with their cheering antics, some are squabbling with one another, defending their favourite tennis players (mostly Fuji Syusuke vs. Kikumaru Kenji, as the non-existent polls show).

If the atmosphere amongst the supporters is tense enough, the atmosphere amongst the players is even worse. Everybody is speaking as little as possible to one another as they prepare for battle, putting on their battle gear, testing the tension of their racquet strings, loosening and retying their tennis shoes...

"Ah! It's a fine day for tennis, ne, Ukita?" says a consistently cheerful Kenji to Ukita who only nods silently in return. "It's odd that we should have a ranking competition now though, seeing that we have not even picked up our racquets ever since Fujiwara-san took over as coach," comments Kenji with a frown.

Ukita has to agree with Kenji, though that doesn't hide the fact that he has been secretly practising by himself whenever he has the time. After all, the switch from badminton to tennis is definitely not an easy one. 'No matter, I will win today,' Ukita assures himself, but he's not the only one with that assurance set in his mind.

Five minutes before training time, all the players involved are already present. They now arranged themselves into two lines, their faces behold a serious expression as Fujiwara-san and Marina sensei enters the court. Even the supporters fall silent.

"Good afternoon, everybody," greets Fujiwara-san after the entire team gives him a more spirited greeting than usual. He turns to look at his players after jotting down some words onto the clipboard he's holding. He then passes the clipboard to Marina sensei and addresses the team.

"Today's the day of the ranking competition as I have told you all before. But before we begin with the main agenda, I want all of you to start running," says Fujiwara-san.

A wave of shock sweeps through the crowd. Running? Again?

"B-but sir! How long are we supposed to run? Won't we get tired?" blurts Kikusho, who can never control that mouth of his.

"30 minutes of running will do," says Fujiwara-san. "The whole point of the running is to get you all tired. For if you want to excel in this sport, you must be able to push yourself to win even when your whole body is screaming in pain. That is all. Shut up and start running," explains Fujiwara-san. With that said, he and Marina sensei heads to the bench to discuss the line-up for the ranking competition.

The audience who have gathered for all the action are of course, disappointed. "Running again? But I watch them run all the time?" complains one of Kenji's fangirls. "I want to see Fuji-sama swing his racquet and show off his beautiful skills," wails one of Fuji's fangirls. "Kenji-sama has much better skills compared to Fuji!" retorts the Kenji fangirl. Another squabble begins.

'It's alright,' thinks Aiko. '30 minutes is okay as long as I run at this steady pace and not get myself too drained.'

"Oh yeah, I should remind you that the last ten to arrive will have to be punished as usual," Fujiwara-san calls out in a clear voice.

'Damn that old man!' curses Aiko to herself as everybody including her pick up the pace.

--

Now that the running is over and done with, the tennis players gather at the court as they await Fujiwara-san's further instructions. Some are panting heavily whilst the last ten runners, as promised, are busy with their punishment of 50 push-ups and 50 sit-ups.

Fujiwara-san and Marina sensei stands side by side in front of the players.

"Listen up. The rules are simple. We shall play one match of 6 points, just like in the district tournaments. The winner will earn a point for himself while the loser, a zero. Once all the matches are played, the ranking of each player is determined by the number of points he scores. If there is a tie in the points, the score each match will be taken into account. Courts one, two and three will be used for Group A's ranking while courts four, five and six will be used for Group B's ranking. The umpires and line judges will be those who do not have a match or have already finished their match at that moment. Understand?" says Fujiwara-san.

The players answered in acquiescence.

"Now, Marina sensei will announce the line-up for today," says Fujiwara-san as Marina sensei steps forward with a clipboard in hand.

"First court, Takeshi Kawamura vs. Kikumaru Kenji. Second court, Kazuya Fujiwara vs. Akutagawa Jirou. Third court, Aikawa Wataru vs. Fuji Syusuke," she announces.

Aikawa Wataru vs. Fuji Syusuke.

Aiko's eyes widen upon hearing her name and turns slowly to look at her opponent. Fuji Syusuke's meet her gaze with another of his indecipherable smile.

--


	18. Chapter 18: Let's End This Game

-1**Chapter****18****Let****s****End****the****Match**

"2-2," announces Ukita who has volunteered to umpire the match between Kazuya and Jirou.

Kazuya has just won another point solely based on service aces. His lightning speed serve is indeed no easy meat to handle, and Jirou realises this as well, for his eyes are wide open and his smile, the widest they've ever seen, period.

'And I used to think that he's just a useless lazy bum,' thinks Kazuya to himself.

To be honest, he's really frustrated.

Unlike Kazuya, Jirou does not seem to have powerful smashes or service aces and whatnot, but his volleying skills are astonishing. He seems so flamboyant, but so precise. 'This is another Pete Sampras in the making, eh?' thinks Kazuya as he returns another one of Jirou's slice serve, his body tense as he anticipates another one of Jirou's crazy volleys.

However, instead of volleying, Jirou drives the ball into the deep right corner of the court causing Kazuya to jerk a little before moving into the direction of the ball. He is just late by about a millisecond or two but that's enough for Jirou to anticipate Kazuya's return. He is already at the net when the ball sails crosscourt and he then slices the ball neatly to the crosscourt.

There's nothing Kazuya can do about that shot. "2-3," announces Ukita who is paying really close attention to the match. After all, it will be his turn to play soon.

'Damn it,' curses Kazuya to himself.

This is going to be a long game.

---

Despite the close match in the second court, it seems that most of the supporters are gathered close to the first court instead. Majority of the supporters are girls.

"Kenji-sama! Ganbatte!"

Similar cries can be heard throughout the crowd.

But their cries combined cannot beat the spirit of the son of a sushi restaurant owner.

"BURNING! Dorya!" shouts Kawamura as he executes another powerful lob to the opposite court. Kenji manages to reach the ball in time but his fragile wrist just cannot cope with the weight of the ball. He returns the ball, but the ball is left floating in the air. All it takes is a simple smash to put it down.

Panting and wiping the sweat off his face with the sleeve of his shirt, Kenji can only stare at his opponent who's busy celebrating his equally powerful smash. In the background, he can hear his fangirls throwing insults at Kawamura, who's obviously oblivious to it all.

"Shut up you ugly pig!"

"Don't you dare hurt Kenji-sama or I will make sure you suffer for it!"

"Just lose why don't you?"

In any normal circumstances, such insults and threats would bring a player's mood down, but this is Kawamura we are talking about. Kawamura with his tennis racquet.

"5-3," announces Taruma who is the umpire for that particular match.

Taruma sighs as he watches Kawamura's antics. ("Keep quiet and watch!" yells Kawamura, waving his racquet at the crowd) It's not that the match he is umpiring is dull or boring, no, far from it in fact. Kenji with his astonishing play, Kawamura with his burning spirit and power, anybody would be entertained by such a face off.

But on court 3...

Taruma steals a glance at court 3, wondering.

He's seen Aikawa(Aiko) trash the living daylights out of Saeki Unahara. He knows just how good Fuji is based on reputation and all. 'It would definitely be a great match between those two,' thinks Taruma with a smile. If only he can watch it as an audience instead of being stuck here.

"Hey, ump! When are you going to get on with the match?" shouts Kawamura as he waves his racquet at poor Taruma. His burning spirit never dies, you see.

"Ah-ah! Gomen, Kawamura-san! The score is 5-3, Kawamura to serve, play," says Taruma, feeling slightly ashamed for being caught inattentive.

And the match resumes.

---

Taruma cannot be blamed for wanting to watch the match between Fuji and Aiko.

But he is wrong in thinking that the match between them would be a great one.

"5-0" announces Chuma in a loud and clear voice.

He gazes at Aiko, feeling somewhat sorry for her. Why is it that she can't keep up with Fuji? Her skills are great and she's really fast. So what's wrong?

Aiko has been panting pretty heavily throughout the match. In fact, trying to not finish amongst the last whilst running earlier had not been very easy for her. In a 30 minutes run, you tend to run faster than you would in a 60 minutes run. In the 60 minutes one, she had always ran at her own pace (which is already fast enough to beat many anyway) but in the 30 minutes one, her stubborn pride and her refusal to lose to anyone had made her push herself more than usual.

But of course, one may argue that the others had to run the same period of time. It wasn't just her.

However, you must also remember that Aiko is only but a girl. The rest don't know that of course. Not even Fuji, you think? Well, that's still something left to be discovered.

As for now, poor Aiko can barely even stand as she clutches her knees, panting heavily.

She has been running and running and running all over the court. So far, Fuji has not demonstrated even one of his special returns. All he does is push her around the court until she can't feel her legs no more.

It seems like a pretty cruel way to play tennis, but that's how the game is played really.

And Aiko knows that too.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it.' The same curses repeat themselves like a broken recorder in the back of her head.

'Move, damn it!" she scolds her legs.

What was she thinking in the first place? Winning in the men's division will give her confidence to be a world beater? What childish thoughts!

'I can't do it. I can't win,' she thinks to herself, closing her eyes in defeat.

She can't hear the supporters cheering for Fuji outside the court. She can't hear the score being announced by Chuma. She can't see anything but the glumness of defeat.

"If you're going to give up now, we might as well let the match end here," says Fuji. Aiko looks up only to see his stern face, a piercing look in his eyes.

Whatever happened to the nice and kind man she has known all these while?

She cannot tear her eyes away from his terrifying ones, but she doesn't need to. Fuji turns his back on her and walks toward the other end of the court. "Think about what you're doing now, about all the trouble you've gone through to get this team together. Are you going to quit?" he says calmly.

Those words seem to hit Aiko like a tidal wave. The walls which have been blocking her senses seem to shatter upon hearing his words.

What the heck? Since when is Aiko Wataru a coward? Come on. She's posed herself as a guy, she's gone through so much trouble just so much so that she can play men's tennis, now that everything is ready, everything is going her way, she's just going to back down?

Aiko smiles, as though a smile would clear all her troubles away. In a whisper, she thanks her opponent.

"Thank you, Fuji."

No, not Mr. Pretty Boy, just Fuji.

---

"6-3, game won by Fuji Syusuke."

And that's the end of another new beginning.

---

"I can't believe Aikawa-kun lost to Fuji-senpai," laments Kikusho. "I mean, you all saw how Aikawa thrashed the shit out of Saeki the last time."

'You can't judge a player's level by just watching him play once,' argues Taruma silently but says nothing. "So what do you think about the match?" asks Taruma, turning to Chuma eagerly.

His chubby friend looks up into the magenta sky thoughtfully before answering, "I don't know. At the beginning, Aikawa-san was playing so badly. He seemed to be hitting all his shots straight to Fuji so Fuji-senpai didn't have to run around so much. But after Fuji-senpai led 5-0, Aikawa-san seemed to be a completely different person. He looked so tired but he was so quick. Still, Fuji-senpai is the better player."

Taruma remains silent upon hearing this and gazes at the setting sun. All three of them are actually lying on the grass of the school's football field, situated near the tennis courts. None of them feels like returning home yet having lost their respective matches.

'I wonder how Aikawa-san is feeling at this very moment?' thinks Taruma to himself.

Who knows?

---


	19. Chapter 19: First Kiss

Chapter 19: First Kiss

**Chapter 19: First Kiss**

It's a happy happy day.

Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, the sun shines gaily on the mountaintop.

And Aiko is screaming.

"JIGAH!! Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!" yells Aiko as she bangs her fist onto the slippery tiles as she washed her hair under the cooling tap water.

'How could I have lost to that pretty boy? What's wrong with me?' thinks Aiko, her head spinning as little evil spirits soared around her head, emitting dark aura from within the small-built girl's heart.

'And I even thanked him! For beating me? Am I insane? Mentally challenged? Or just plain stupid?'

As Aiko drowns herself in her sorrow, someone creeps up at her from behind.

Aiko senses something amidst. A dark shadow is casted upon her. Tensed, she turns around quickly and to her horror, she sees a giant smile of pearly white teeth.

"Yo," greets Kikumaru Kenji.

"What are you doing here!?" exclaims Aiko, obviously disturbed by his sudden appearance. In her mind, she is secretly casting spells to ward off his evil presence.

"I came to see my darling of course," answers Kenji with as much sweetness as ten cans of Coca-Cola put together. No, add those Coca-cola with ten pints of vanilla ice cream. That should be about right.

Aiko doesn't like her coke too sweet.

Without realising it, she punches him in the stomach.

My, my. What a very unladylike thing to do.

--

"So you lost, huh?" says Kenji as he stares up at the fluffy cotton wool-ish clouds amidst a backdrop of clear blue sky. Both he and Aiko are lying on their backs against the green grass, well away from the tennis courts of Yamashita High School.

Kenji, as he had explained to Aiko earlier, was running away from his fan girls who were getting a bit out of hand after he managed to defeat Kawamura in a nail-biting match which saw him winning with a narrow margin of 7-5.

"YES," snaps Aiko.

Kenji can sense miniature sized evil Aiko spirits circling around him.

'Don't ask me that any more, don't ask me that any more,' they seem to be chanting to him.

Kenji can feel sweat beading against his forehead due to such intense aura radiating from his companion beside him.

"But it could have been worse if Fuji had not pushed me back into my game," confesses Aiko.

_'If you're going to give up now, we might as well let the match end here.'_

Those words hit close to home.

All this while, Aiko had been losing in every single international tournament she had played in, not because she was weaker than her opponents, but simply because she could not beat herself.

_'I can't do it, I can't win'_

Those were the words which circled within the little space in her brain every time she stepped onto the court. She could never understand why she thought that way, why her body could not do as her mind instructed, why she could not even remember how the match was going along until after her match, when she would be hit by sudden flashbacks of her humiliating displays on court. Then, she would head to the locker room, too dejected to even speak to anyone.

And once she had locked herself in an empty cubicle in the dressing room, she would just bury her head and cry, devastated and immensely frustrated with her poor performance.

She could feel the great expectations on her, weighing her down, as heavy as 1000 kg dumbbells. She could hear the whispers of the people from the national tennis association.

_"She can only play well in Japan. This is her limit. Maybe we should just give the back-up players a chance to show their worth. It's not cheap sending players all the way to the Western countries only to have them come back empty handed. At least Mokigami Mayami made it to the third round. Tsukugara Sayuki too. I simply don't understand why Aiko, who's never failed in beating these two players in Japan, cannot even get pass a newbie."_

Those were the exact words which haunted Aiko's mind only a year ago. The words which convinced her to hide herself from the international circuit until she could set her mind straight. She wanted to show the tennis federation what she was truly capable of.

And so far, she hasn't gotten very far.

'Losing to a pretty boy... Disgrace!' thinks Aiko to herself.

"It's no shame losing to Fuji, you know," says Kenji with a knowing smile. He could read her mind as clearly as an opened book.

"He is after all, a born prodigy," he continues.

'I'm a born prodigy too,' thinks Aiko indignantly. 'Though I am still but a girl,' she relents.

There is silence for a while as a gentle wind cools the tired bodies of the two relatively unknown tennis players (Alas, nobody knows Aikawa Wataru).

"Say, Aikawa-kun," Kenji begins to speak again.

"Mmm?" asks Aiko as she shuts her eyes, peacefully enjoying the soothing environment.

"There's something that has been bothering me for quite a while now," says Kenji seriously as he sits up and stares at Aiko intently. Aiko feels a sense of danger. Pandora's box is about to be opened. She sits up.

Her heart seems to be pumping blood at a faster rate than usual and she can sense that something is very wrong. Kenji looks as though he knows something, something that he should not know. Something related to Aiko. Something which may get her in trouble.

But no...

It's impossible.

She's only known Kenji for a short while.

He can't have found out anything on his own.

Before she can decide her own fate, however, she feels something warm press against her lips.

Her eyes widen in shock. She can feel Kenji's longish hair brush against her forehead and his breath against her skin.

Worst of all, she can feel his lips on hers.

What on earth is he doing?

Frightened, she pushes him away from her.

Panting as she wipes imaginary remains of that kiss, her first kiss, away from her lips, she stares hard at Kenji, her feelings all messed up between that of shock, anger and fear.

Kenji, on the other hand, remains calm. Dangerous, even as his intent stare has not wavered.

"You're a girl, aren't you?" he asks quietly.

Aiko's eyes widen again.

How?

How did he find out?

--


	20. Chapter 20: Strawberry Ice Cream

Chapter 20: Strawberry Ice Cream

**Chapter 20: Strawberry Ice Cream**

One must always be careful with his/her secrets for if ever said secrets get into the wrong hands, there may be terrible consequences.

Blackmail, extortion, public defamation.

For years, decades and maybe even centuries, careless humans suffer when their secrets are exposed. Husbands lose their wives. Presidents lose their seats. Celebrities lose their private lives.

As for Aiko, she burns a hole in her purse.

"One triple strawberry sundae with extra chocolate sauce and whipped cream," announces the ever-cheerful waitress as she places a huge glass of delicious-looking dessert on the wooden table.

Smiling cheerily, Kenji picks up a spoon.

"Itadakimasu!" he pronounces happily and digs into the rich milky texture of the first layer of strawberry ice cream (made with real strawberries!).

Aiko stares at Kenji gloomily, her hands still shaking as she grasps her near-empty purse.

'He kisses me and I pay for his sundae? Why is the world so cruel to me?' Aiko laments in self-pity.

She keeps rewinding to the incident in the grassy field.

Him kissing her. She, pushing him away. He, quietly announcing that he knows her deepest darkest secret. She, stunned to silence, unmoving. He, suddenly exclaiming, "Buy me dessert!" with a cheeky grin on his face. She, bewilderedly asking him why in the devil he would want to order dessert, finally able to speak. He, reminding her that she knows very well of the consequences if she does not comply with his wishes.

And that was that.

No confirmation of hypothesis.

No enquiries.

No slapping or yelling at Kenji for doing such an obscene thing to a lady (She was too stunned to even think clearly and by the time she did think clearly, she already paid for Kenji's yummy treat).

She suffers in her miserable gloom as she stares at the sweet pastel pink of the strawberry ice cream.

Catching her stare, Kenji has the manners to ask, "Would you like some?" with an innocent smile.

It takes Aiko a lot of patience not to get up and shove that stupid dessert spoon up his nose. She can see his horns hidden underneath his dyed hair, the brightly lit halo above his head, a fake one made out of wire, gold foil and glue.

Aiko sighs dejectedly and knows that she's done guessing.

"Alright, enough games. What do you want to ask me?" she starts as she looks at Kenji into the eyes with a serious gaze that meant business.

"What makes you think I have any questions to ask?" says Kenji, bemused as he shoves another spoonful of whipped cream into his mouth.

"Well, wouldn't you want to know why a girl would actually bother to throw away her feminine side in order to join the boys' tennis team of a relatively unknown school?" asks Aiko, her cool demeanour melted as she could not help but feel a little surprised by Kenji's nonchalance.

"No, actually," confesses Kenji with a little frown as though wondering why on earth he would want to know so much regarding the matter. "I'm sure you have your own reasons and if you ask me not to tell anyone, I won't. It's your business and I won't pry but if you ever need any help, then you can turn to me I guess," says Kenji in a carefree manner.

Aiko's mouth falls open at that.

Is this the evil Kikumaru Kenji she knows?

Or does he have a hidden agenda?

"Why are you treating me so nicely?" asks Aiko a little awkwardly, as though suspecting something.

Kenji looks at Aiko thoughtfully at that.

"Because you're a girl. And I'm a gentleman," he answers firmly, as though that explains everything.

He is about to finish his last scoop of strawberry ice cream when they hear a loud slam. They turn around only to see a tall boy with dark broom-like hair stand up with his back facing them at the table behind Kenji's.

He looks upset as he clutches his fists tightly, staring intently at the petite girl opposite him.

The girl looks nothing like a Japanese. She's short, probably even shorter than Aiko, with shoulder-length hair dyed a mixture of various shades of brown and gold. Her skin is slightly tanned and she's got goldfish eyes. She looks pretty athletic.

The whole shop remains silent as customers watch the couple. Without a word, the lad who stood up walks a few quick and long strides toward the exit and leaves, apparently hurt and angry or both.

The girl says nothing, does nothing.

She remains in her seat as she stirs her banana smoothie and remains deep in thought. All of a sudden, she smiles, albeit a little sadly.

Aiko watches this in awe. Kenji on the other hand, seems to be concentrating on something else.

"Let's go," he tells Aiko and abruptly gets up to leave.

"Ahh?? Why?" blurts Aiko, surprised.

"Didn't you have a good look of the guy's face?" snaps Kenji.

He looks at her briefly, any hints of mischief erased from his now serious face.

"It's Ukita," he says.

"Oh," exclaims Aiko as realisation hits her.

--


	21. Chapter 21: Becoming A Man

**Chapter 21: Becoming a Man**

Tennis is a sport best played with friends.

With friends, there are hardly any enemies. No tension on court. No sense of anxiety. No fear.

What is present on the green court, on the other hand, is laughter and happiness. A giggle when one misses the ball, a chuckle when one clumsily lands on his/her bottom whilst trying to save a shot or a full bellowing laugh when someone accidentally hits a ball onto the head of his/her partner.

Ukita sighs as he watches a relatively similar scene unfold in front of him as he leans his head on his folded arms, perched on the metal railings of a nearby park overlooking four open-air tennis courts.

He thinks about the events which took place in the dessert shop earlier.

He thinks about Hua Ying, his former badminton coach, his elder by 6 years, the person he, unfortunately, cannot seem to help but fall in love with.

How could he not fall in love with someone like her?

She's funny, friendly, witty, down-to-earth, mature, intelligent, realistic and the list simply goes on. He is never the type who would easily fall for girls who try to look or act cute by impersonating characters in animes and Japanese manga. He, himself, does not read manga nor watch anime so let's not even get to hentai.

He is the type who is very much like a grown mature man stuck in a teenage body at a time whereby teens would be at their most active state, their hormones raging fire in their bodies.

He's seen and met so many girls, some who had even tried to flirt with him, doing so merely because he is a pretty good athlete and tall for a Japanese, not knowing any better for he is never one to be messed around with easily.

He had never met a girl whom he was genuinely interested in- until he met Choi Hua Ying.

At first, it was more of a typical teacher-student relationship. Then, she, noticing his talent and determination, started giving him extra training to satisfy his hunger in achieving his target where badminton is concerned. She took him jogging with her in the evenings, drove him to the nearest hill where they would traverse the hilly paths together, not once or twice but thrice in a session. She would treat him dinner every once in a while but after he started working part time at a nearby convenience store, add that to his helping out his grandfather in the sports' shop, he had earned enough money to treat her in return.

They could talk about anything: badminton, politics, the weather. Nothing is too controversial nor mundane to be a topic of discussion between them.

Ukita does not know Hua Ying's feelings towards him. She treats him almost like a brother, never crossing the treacherous border which would drag both her and Ukita deeper into a dangerous and tricky path.

Ukita had always kept his admiration for the pint-sized athlete to himself.

Until today.

He knocks his forehead with his fist gently.

Just what was he thinking?

"_How__'__s your tennis training coming along?__"__ asked Hua Ying with the big wide smile of hers._

"_Fine,__"__ replied Ukita with a gentle smile._

"_How__'__s the badminton coaching coming along?__"__ he asked in return._

"_Fine,__"__ replied Hua Ying with a mischievous smile. _

_They smiled at each other in silence for a while, as though sharing an unspoken secret._

_Everything was pretty much normal and ordinary. The quaint dessert shop was packed with its usual customers comprising of school students and young fresh employees who still did not feel sophisticated enough to give this cutesy shop a miss. There were noisy chatter, laughter and the clinking of dessert spoons as they tapped onto the glass bowl gently._

_Ukita did not know why he had blurted out the forbidden words at this ordinary moment, of all ordinary moments. _

"_I think I love you.__"_

_Those were the very words he had uttered, the words that came right out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Maybe it was the way her brownish hair seemed to gleamed under the overlooking orange light, or the way she was smiling to herself in the gentle manner she sometimes portrayed despite her tough chick ways. _

_Hua Ying was clearly startled at his confession, but not entirely surprised. She looked at him, her eyes a little sad. Then, she smiled as though nothing profound had happened and asked him, __"__Are you sure you__'__ve been training enough? It__'__s been really sunny these days and you still look as pale as ever.__"__ She took a sip off her smoothie, her eyes avoiding his intense stare. _

_He did not say a word._

"_Honestly speaking, considering that you__'__ve given up badminton over tennis, the least you can do is work harder than you usually do. You want to be a champion don__'__t you?__"__ she continued, that out-of-place smile still etched across her face. _

_He remained silent and tried to fight back his urge to shake her at her shoulders and shout, __"__Look at me!! Look at me!!__"__ for she was still avoiding his eyes._

"_I__'__d definitely like to see your face in the Malaysian papers someday. The pride of the Asian community! Haha!__"__ she went on a little too gleefully._

_That__'__s when Ukita__'__s determination to control his urge faltered. _

_He stood up abruptly, causing some of the customers nearby their table to turn and look. _

"_I__'__m not a kid any more. Please stop treating me like one,__"__ he told her with a calm and collected tone. __"__If you still don__'__t think I__'__m ready, then please wait for me. Please wait for me to become a man. Until then, please leave me with some dignity,__"__ he continued quietly before leaving Hua Ying alone, deep in her thoughts. _

Ukita slaps himself on his forehead again as he thinks about his embarrassing antic. He is used to being in control. He can control his feelings pretty well, projecting only the emotions that are expected of him.

How could he have been so careless?

"U-ki-ta!!"

He turns to see Aiko and Kenji running towards him from across the park.

"We were looking all over for you," says Aiko when she reaches Ukita's side. Kenji stands at a close distance away, not really willing to interfere.

"We saw what happened at the dessert shop. Are you okay?" she asks enquiringly, a worried expression on her face.

Slightly surprised for he had not noticed Aiko and Kenji in the shop earlier, he does not say anything for a while.

"I'm fine, Aikawa-kun," he finally replies with a smile so assuring that it scarily reminds Aiko of the dreaded Fuji Syusuke.

"You're lying," says Aiko sternly. "I can see through that smile of yours."

Well, considering how much time she spends with that dreaded Fuji Syusuke, this is not entirely surprising.

Ukita frowns slightly. Is he that bad of an actor?

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me about it," says Aiko softly. "Just know that if you ever feel troubled and need someone to talk to, you can always turn to me. That's what friends are for, right?" continues Aiko with a reassuring smile.

Ukita looks at her as though he only just met her for the first time. He seems pretty taken aback at her frankness but that is soon replaced by a sense of gratitude. He never had many close friends due to his seriousness and 'no nonsense' nature. He leads a disciplined lifestyle and does not indulge in the usual activities of his cliques. He knows many of his schoolmates and is quite popular due to his sporting activities as well as his good academic achievements. Nevertheless, everybody seems to bore him. Everybody seems so predictable, so mundane.

Aiko happens to be one of them.

But now, at this very moment, Ukita is actually quite happy over this little bit of predictability.

He smiles, a genuine one this time.

"Thanks, Aikawa-kun," he says meaningfully.

Aiko's smile extends further and her eyes light up in excitement. She's actually gotten into Ukita's head! First she got him to play tennis again. Next, she gets him to be her friend!

Oh, the mightiness of this little descendent of the Wataru family line!

"You know, Aikawa-kun," says Ukita as he observes her a little curiously, his right thumb and index finger stroking his chin, "You really look and act like a girl at times."

He strikes a chord and Aiko's expression changes to that of horror.

Kenji, who heard everything, laughs aloud and comes up to Ukita's side, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Trust me, you don't know how much of a girl Aikawa-kun really is," he hints with an air of mischief.

He looks at Aiko with a cheeky grin and winks at her.

She looks back at Kenji in horror and tries to send threatening signals to him through her eyes.

'You expose my secret and you are dead, you expose my secret and you are dead,' her eyes seem to be saying.

Confused with the relationship between the duo and sensing the intense electricity between them, Ukita asks, "Since when are both of you so chummy with one another?"

"Who wants to get chummy with an idiot like him?!" yells Aiko, pointing her index finger at Kenji.

"Who wants to get chummy with a brat like him?!" yells Kenji at the exact same time as Aiko whilst pointing his index finger at Aiko.

Bewildered, Ukita decides not to press the issue further. Behind him, Aiko and Kenji are engaged in a war of words with one another, completely ignoring the momentarily main character in this little chapter.

Ukita sighs for the hundredth time that day and looks up at the darkening sky.

'I'll work hard to become a champion. I'll work hard to become a man. Until I achieve my goal, please wait for me,' thinks Ukita as he closes his eyes and sees Hua Ying's smiling face in his mind.

At a short distance away, in a quaint little dessert shop somewhere around town, a pint-sized woman smiles as she stirs away at her smoothie, the over-stirred texture of the banana smoothie becoming a rather unapppetising sight.

"A man, huh?" she says softly to herself and smirks.

"How interesting, that kid."

--


	22. Chapter 22: I Want To Be A Regular!

-1**Chapter****22****: ****I****Want****to****be****a****Regular**

"TA-RU-MA!!"

The boy with the bushy eyebrows turns to look at his red-faced friend, Kikusho. Befitting the flamboyant nature that he portrays, Taruma's friend is a real mess. His school shirt is untucked, his tie loosened and left hanging there like a slacked noose, his pants too big for his small frame, his hair, obviously uncombed.

What a contrast to Taruma's neat and tidy look. His teachers were very pleased with his new crew cut that day. It wasn't his fault. He knew better than to risk public humiliation for (lack of) fashion sense. It's just difficult to argue with a military man who so happens to be his father.

"Yo!" greets Kikusho as he catches up to Taruma, the back of his shirt all sweaty. Taruma suspects that Kikusho had been playing tennis without putting on proper sports attire- again.

"How many matches have you won?" Kikusho asks the dreaded question.

Nevertheless, Taruma has nothing to be ashamed of. He smiles and replies, "I won 3 and lost 3. You?"

Kikusho punches his fist to his chest with a confident smile and boasts, "I won 5 and lost only one! I'll be a regular yet!"

To be quite honest, Taruma was initially surprised at Kikusho's amazing run in the Group B ranking competition. The ranking competition is divided into two groups: Group A and Group B. Aiko and co are obviously in Group A whilst the rest have to fight it out in Group B. Winner of Group B will be given the chance to join the team which will be headed for the district tournament. The addition of one group B member would result in there being 8 players who will represent Yamashita High School in the meet.

So far, Kikusho had been on a roll, upsetting the form books by beating Saeki Unahara. The only person he had lost to so far was another senior, which came as a surprise as that particular senior had lost to Taruma and a lot of other players before.

Kikusho confessed that he had had a rough day as he only slept for 3 hours. He needed to complete his already delayed Japanese Literature assignment.

"Hey, guys!" Chubby Chuma is here and duo becomes a trio.

Chuma had not fared so well as compared to Taruma and Kikusho. He, being a newcomer to the world of tennis, had only won one match so far.

Knowing that it won't do his chubby friend any good if they continue to talk about their matches, Taruma quickly direct their topic of conversation to that of the Group A ranking competition.

"I wonder who's going to come up tops in the Group A ranking," Taruma begins in a casual tone.

"Fuji. Hands down," says Chuma bluntly.

"No, no, no! I'm putting my bet on Kazuya!" Kikusho protests passionately. "He's way cooler than Fuji. Fuji is too goody goody for me," he reasons.

Taruma does not see the connection between being a 'goody goody' and well, tennis skills in general but he does not persist.

"Let's recap on the results of the past few days, shall we?" suggests Taruma as he tries to remember the many matches which took place in the past week.

"Well, I remember Aikawa-kun and Fuji-san's match on the first day. Aikawa-kun lost. Oh, and Kenji-san defeated Kawamura-san," says Chuma as he glances upwards, trying hard to remember. "Right, right, And Kazuya-san beat Jirou-san. That was a pretty dull match really. Jirou-san was simply blinded by the awesomeness of Kazuya-san," says Kikusho. "If it was that boring, why did you watch it?" asks Taruma curiously. "I was the umpire," came the short answer.

"Aikawa-kun lost again on the second day right? I remember she had to play two matches on that day. One against Kawamura-san and the other against Kazuya-san," Chuma recalls. "Oh yeah," Kikusho suddenly remembers. "Poor Aikawa-kun."

It happened like this…

_It was yet another hot day as the scorching sun smirked wickedly at the doomed tennis players of Yamashita High School. Everybody looked pissed at one thing or another, even Jirou whose sleep was interrupted simply because it was too hot. Oh, right, and Fuji of course, was an exception. He couldn't possibly be pissed over something as pesky as the weather._

_Nobody looked as pissed as Aiko did though. She was staring at Coach Fujiwara with her mouth wide open in disbelief. _

"_RUNNING?? AGAIN??" she bellowed again, as though she couldn't hear him clearly when he had uttered the dreaded words a while ago. _

_Coach Fujiwara (as he so fondly forced everybody on the tennis team to address him) pretended not to hear her. He clapped his hands and ordered all of them to hurry it up. The day before, they had ran 30 minutes non-stop before playing their respective matches. This time, they had to run for 45 minutes. _

_None of the muscular and well-built youngsters dared to go against the older Coach Fujiwara. _

_So they all ran._

_Aiko cursed under her breath, knowing that her day was going to get worse. _

_And sure enough it did._

_Coach Fujiwara made her play 2 matches on that day. _

"_You were the one who complained about running. If you are fit enough, it would be no sweat for you. So isn't it better for you to take this chance to brush up on your stamina ahead of the meet?" came Coach Fujiwara's reason for picking on her that day._

"_Also," he continued. "You finished last," he pointed out flatly._

_So poor Aiko had to slough it off with the perennially energetic Kawamura-san, losing the match 6-2 as her tiny little wrist simply could not hold his shots. She was glad that her serves managed to cough up at least 2 points for her or it would have been demoralizing for her to emerge from the battlefield with nothing but an egg for show. _

_Her next match was not as simple. Kazuya was merciless and did not make for any allowances. He won the match 6-1. The one point came toward the end simply because she was determined, or perhaps Kazuya finally had some ounce of human kindness in him and pitied Aiko, who was throwing her little body all over the court despite her legs not being able to withstand the pressure any more._

_Aiko slept like a log the minute she got home. Understandable. _

"I still can't get over the fact that Ukita-san defeated Kenji-san," Chuma comments. "Ukita-san did not seem very strong when he first came into the team."

"Well, he did play very well though," says Taruma.

True enough, Ukita did play extraordinarily well that day. His willpower seemed to be radiating a strong fiery aura around his tall frame. None of Kenji's flamboyance nor trick shots worked on him. Ukita's reaction time is simply too quick for him to be easily deceived by a little flick of a wrist and what not. After all, he used to be a player of the fastest racquet sport in the world.

"Fuji-san's match against Jirou-san wasn't so bad either, though Jirou-san did look pretty worn out, and he kept wiping sweat off his face," says Kikusho.

"I don't think he likes the sun much," says Taruma, frowning a little. "He is rather pale for an athlete."

"But 6-4 wasn't a bad score though," Chuma points on. "He was up against Fuji-san after all."

"Oh yeah! Fuji-san played 2 matches in a row on Wednesday, didn't he?" Kikusho recalls aloud. "He didn't seem tired at all," he remarks.

On that particular day, Fuji had defeated Kenji a little quicker than expected, so Coach Fujiwara had requested for Fuji to play against Ukita after a quick break. However, Fuji commented that he was not tired and if given the permission, he would prefer to finish his match with Ukita right away. Ukita, who was given yet another boost of confidence through his win over Aiko that day, agreed to the challenge. He lost the match in a respectable manner.

That day, Kenji and Aiko were the biggest losers and they couldn't stop sulking after their respective matches.

Kenji felt demoralized as all his fan girls had to endure watching him throw himself pathetically all over the court, his mind only half awake as he had had to pull another all-nighter to complete yet another overdue homework. The worst part is, Fuji was not even tired, or he might not have requested to play his match against Ukita right after that.

Aiko on the other hand, felt like a loser simply because she was a loser. She could not believe that she had lost to Ukita, whom she thought she could have beaten, as he had only just started playing tennis again, whilst she, the famous Aiko Wataru had been playing tennis all her life.

She didn't feel any better when she saw how well Ukita had played against Fuji. Oh, the misery.

Kazuya was not present on the third day of competition.

He had an important student council meeting to attend, albeit reluctantly.

"Yesterday was the most interesting day ever," says Kikusho and his two friends agree whole-heartedly.

Coach Fujiwara finally realized that they were way behind schedule thanks to his insistence that everybody had to run and produce more lactic acid in their quadriceps before they could step into the courts. Marina sensei's terrifying glare and sarcasm-dripping mouth finally knocked some sense (or perhaps fear) into Coach Fujiwara's stubbornly solid head.

She pointed out that the Group B competition she was put in charge of was about to end whilst he still had a handful of matches to arrange despite having only seven players under his charge.

His manly ego disallowed him to lose to the female species so much so that he not only cancelled the running bit, but he also made everyone swear to remain in the courts until all the matches he assigned for the day were completed.

None of the tennis players under his charge had any qualms to that. They were secretly very pleased as they did not have to run any more, and they could finally concentrate on their matches.

That probably contributed to the quality display portrayed on the tennis courts that day. Jirou's match against Kenji was particularly interesting as both displayed awe-dropping skills which were nearly impossible to pull off. Still, Kenji's unlucky streak continued and he lost the match narrowly.

On that day also, Kawamura had obligingly participated in not one, not two but three matches.

"Come on! Bring it on! My burning spirit will never die!" Kawamura had yelled passionately, his eyes set ablazed by the sheer fire of his soul.

He defeated Ukita in a very close encounter which lasted more than an hour.

He then proceeded to lose to Fuji in a less interesting duel (Fuji simply did not have to project any extra ounce of determination. No need for any extra blood, sweat and tears so to speak).

When he demanded Coach Fujiwara to assign him another match, Coach Fujiwara (who was actually quite pleased that everything was proceeding as according to his initial plans) had said, "I understand your burning desire to kill (not really) but you're already out of opponents."

Suprisingly, this was not the case as Jirou volunteered to be Kawamura's next opponent. He had been sleeping pretty soundly after his match against Kenji but could not take Kawamura's relentless ranting any longer and so, he decided he might as well shut him up for good.

Don't get me wrong.

This is no war. It's just tennis.

Kazuya was involved in two matches that day. He defeated Ukita though not as easily as how he defeated some of the others as he was clearly very determined and had played some clever shots. However, his next match against Kenji was slightly easier as he was tired out from his battle against Jirou earlier.

"Why do I have to play two matches? My match against Jirou lasted more than an hour!" he had complained, not knowing that a short while later, Jirou would voluntarily take on the highly energetic Kawamura.

To this question, Coach Fujiwara actually had an answer. Whispering in Kenji's ear as to not let the others hear him, he asked Kenji, "Do you know who Haruna-sensei is?"

Kenji had to think for a while before exclaiming, "You mean the pretty new teacher? The one all the guys had been eyeing on?"

Coach Fujiwara nodded his head repeatedly before proceeding to whisper in to Kenji's attentive ear, "Right, she asked me for a favour yesterday. You see, she was put in charge as the teacher advisor for the girls' tennis team. She asked me for advice on how to attract more girls to join the tennis team. I told her I had the perfect solution." Coach Fujiwara looked at Kenji as though expecting Kenji to understand a hidden meaning to his words.

Kenji understood completely. "You didn't!" he said in disbelief. He turned to look at the bevy of beauties squealing excitedly beyond the wire gate. They did look as though they would pick up tennis simply because Kenji's a tennis player.

"Why do I always have to suffer because of my good looks?" Kenji complained to nobody in particular before storming into the court in a grumpy manner to face yet another nemesis.

Deep in his heart though, he must admit that he was a tad bit happy for the compliment. Just a tad bit.

And so, beauty proved to be capable of self-destruction for he lost his match in a beautiful fashion.

That's how the fourth day of competition ended.

Though in case you haven't noticed, Aiko's missing from the picture.

Well, apparently, this poor girl was suffering from muscle aches all over her body the night before. Fearing that she would not be able to give her best in her two remaining matches if she was about to be forced to run again the next day, she decided to take a risk by skipping school (Stomach ache, came the excuse) and play two matches on the final day instead.

She almost got hit by a car as she had stopped in her tracks on the middle of the road when Fuji told her that there was no running on the day she was absent.

What irony.

Meanwhile, the three young boys who were so kind in giving you details on how things transpired throughout the week finally had to separate at a junction.

"I can't wait till tomorrow," says Kikusho with a grin. "I'm going to be a regular!" he announces as he punches his fist into the air.

Smiling, Taruma secretly wishes that he, too, will be able to become a regular someday. Someday, he will join the likes of Aiko, Fuji and Kazuya. Someday!

--


	23. Chapter 23: The Final Showdown

**Chapter 23: The Final Showdown**

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the fifth day of the Yamashita High School tennis ranking competition.

Just so you get a clearer picture of what is to come, let me, your humble and lazy author, announce the line-up for the day:

For the first match, we have Akutagawa Jirou up against Wataru Aikawa. Next on the list, Fujiwara Kazuya against Kawamura Takashi. Then, we'll have Wataru Aikawa against Kikumaru Kenji. Akutagawa Jirou will be back on court to take on Ishida Ukita.

The final match of the day, which will be the highlight for today's competition, will be between the great prodigy, Fuji Syusuke and the fallen prodigy, Fujiwara Kazuya.

Let the games begin.

--

"ARRRGGGGHHH!!"

A yell of despair resonates behind the school building. Aiko bangs her fist against the wall, water dripping down her face as she has just washed her face at the washing bay.

'_Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid,__'_ she curses herself repeatedly.

She has just lost her match against Jirou. And she is the first person to have lost too. The others are still playing on court.

She doesn't know what went wrong exactly. Her serves were fine. She only committed one double fault. Her secret technique, dubbed 'The Rolling Ball' by some idiotic first-years (blame Kikusho), made Jirou wake up and struggle a little bit.

And yet she lost.

7-5 was the score. The best score she has obtained yet throughout the competition, but still.

"Jirou didn't give you much chance to use your special volley," says a familiar voice. Aiko turns to stare into the blue eyes of Fuji Syusuke. "You were too anxious, too eager to win the game. You failed to notice that he has been keeping his shots deep and low to the back of the court so that you wouldn't get a chance to perform that volley of yours," says Fuji. "Didn't you find it strange that a talented volleyer like Jirou would play so many baseline shots rather than finish you off with his many favourite volleys?" he asks.

That's when Aiko finally notices her mistakes. At the beginning of the game, both Jirou and Aiko had been showing off their variation of volleys. That was when Aiko held a bit of an advantage since it is difficult for anybody to hit a ball that doesn't bounce. He must have thought that by pressuring her at the base, she wouldn't be able to use that volley of hers and when he got the chance, he could just finish her off with a neat volley.

She had been thinking so much about winning that she didn't notice.

Seeing the realisation on Aiko's face, Fuji's work is done and he begins to walk away. Not wanting him to leave just yet, Aiko calls out to him, "Hey!" Fuji stops to listen to what the little girl has to say. After a short pause, Aiko says in forced manner, "You better not lose to Kazuya, you hear?" A blush creeps up her cheeks and she is surely glad that Fuji has his back turned towards her.

Away from her gaze, Fuji's lips curve into a smile and he replies calmly, "Of course. And you'd better not lose your next match, Aikawa-kun."

He then leaves the blushing girl to herself.

"Of course I won't lose," Aiko mutters to nobody in particular. "Baka!" she curses.

--

Ukita had had a pretty good run in the competition, upsetting the formbooks to beat a few players who are presumably better than him considering the fact that he hasn't touched a tennis racquet for a pretty long time.

Nevertheless, his good luck or rather, his determination did not pull through in his match against Jirou. He lost, though again, in a respectable manner for he did manage to agitate Jirou a little. Kawamura was no match for Kazuya.

"I want a rematch!!" yells the spirited young man ferociously.

Fujiwara-san sighs and says to him, "Give me your racquet Kawamura-san."

"What? Why would I surrender my treasure to you!! I want a rematch!! REMATCH!!" yells Kawamura in all his burning glory.

"I just want to see properly what racquet model you're using, that's all," reasons Fujiwara-san.

Convinced, Kawamura surrenders his racquet to the coach.

At the moment the racquet leaves his hands, Kawamura calms down and says, "Ahehe. I lost. Well, there's nothing I can do about that. You're really good, Kazuya." Kawamura turns to Kazuya with a smile. Everybody sighs in disbelief.

The burning sensation stops.

Finally, the last two matches of the day.

Aiko reties her shoelaces as she glares at her opponent who's rummaging through his tennis bag at the bench on the other side of the court. Already, his fan girls are all warmed up, ready to support their favourite tennis player all the way through the match.

"Squish that shorty, Kenji-sama!"

"Gambateh!!"

Aiko's eyebrow twitches a bit out of irritance. '_Cool it, Aiko! Take it out on the court!__'_ she tells herself. She's not going to let herself be blinded by anything this time.

For this match, Saeki Unahara is the umpire.

"This is a match between Wataru Aikawa and Kikumaru Kenji. Love all. Wataru Aikawa to serve. Play."

Bouncing the ball several times on the court, Aiko takes several deep breaths as the chants from Kenji's fan girls become deafening. She tosses the ball high up into the air and jumps.

--

On the next court, Kazuya and Fuji are standing opposite one another, waiting for the umpire to decide who gets to serve first. Both of them resonate an incredible aura, an aura meant for battle. Already, everybody is expecting a highly intense match from the both of them. So far, both young men had been unbeatable. This match will prove who the best player in the team is. It may even decide who will be elected captain.

Fuji has that serious expression on his face. The one that materialises every time he encounters a player he knows he'll have to give all out to defeat.

Kazuya on the other hand, will not like losing to Fuji one bit.

"Fuji has the serve," says Chuma a little nervously. He already feels the pressure from having to umpire such an important match.

Fuji removes a tennis ball from his pocket and heads to the end of the tennis court.

"I expect a good match from you, Kazuya," says Fuji.

"Me too," replies Kazuya with a smile as he too heads to the end of his court.

And the epic battles begin.

--

"Kenji-sama!!"

"Fight-o! Fight-o!"

The match in court 1 is clearly an exciting one for the audience grew in numbers. Even people from the basketball club and baseball club who went to the court to find out what the commotion was about remained there to watch the exciting matches.

At the moment, Aiko is leading with a score of 4-3. She has been exceptionally merciless in her shots today. Every single shot matters and she leaves no room for error. She attacked every single corner and blind spot, always aggressive and on the attack.

Kenji, like Aiko, does not want to lose either. He played many astounding acrobatic shots which caught Aiko off guard.

Kenji fires a fast shot to the right corner of the court and scores. "Set won by Kikumaru Kenji. 4 games to 4," announces Saeki as both players move towards the bench for a short break to wipe off sweat from their faces.

'_There is no way I will lose to a girl!__'_thinks Kenji to himself, his soul burning with determination.

In court 2, the match has not progressed as far as Kenji and Aiko's. At the moment, the score is only at 2-2.

Both players have been very consistent with their shots, with neither making room for error. This allows for many long rallies which are both grueling and nerve-racking. Fuji's three counter returns can be read by Kazuya quite well while Kazuya's lightning serve has already been broken by Fuji. In order to win, either player will have to come up with something new to throw the other off guard.

If they don't do that, well, the match will just proceed at this staggeringly slow pace until someone breaks down from fatigue.

Fuji drives the ball onto the left side of the court and scores. The score is now 3-2. It is still the beginning.

--

"Game won by Wataru Aikawa. 7 games to 5."

Aiko's match is finally over. Aiko falls on her knees, panting.

'_Finally,__'_she thinks to herself. '_I won!__'_

She feels immensely happy and relieved. She has finally won a match. She! The cross-dresser! Has finally won a match!

The egoistic spirit in her does a few back-flips and dances a happy dance.

_La-la-la-la-la. Tensai Aiko, number one!_

Okay, technically she's not number one but she feels on top of the world so leave her be with her over imaginative mind for now.

As the egoistic spirit in her sings an inspirational song (Queen's We are the Champions), Kenji's little spirit is singing a different tune. Welcome to the Black Parade.

'_How?? How could I lose to a short chick?__"_Kenji curses within. Disgrace!

Nevertheless, he is not so easily put down. Rather then dwell in his misery sitting at a corner while licking his wounds, which is so unfitting of his cool image, Kenji sweeps his hair back and acknowledges his fans. With a smile, he points two fingers at his fan girls, winks and says, "Thanks for your support. I'm sorry I let you down."

His fans roar.

"We still love you Kenji-sama!"

"Marry me, Kenji-sama!"

"Kyaa!!"

Satisfied that his cool image is still well-kept, Kenji walks out of the court with dignity.

'_At least I lost beautifully,__'_he thinks to himself, feeling much better.

From the side of the court, Marina-sensei is simply lost for words. Fujiwara-san on the other hand seems satisfied upon seeing Kenji's antic. He can imagine Haruna-sensei coming up to him to thank him for his kind help. Then, he will use the opportunity to invite her for dinner. Yes, yes. The perfect plan. And it's all thanks to Kenji.

Aiko hums a happy tune as she towels down. She hears a deafening roar and it is only then when she realizes that Fuji's match is still going on. She sees the other members of the Group A tennis team watching the match intently and joins them.

"What's the score?" she asks Kenji.

"4-4," he replies.

"What?" she asks, a little shocked. They started the match at about the same time and their match is only at the middle stage?

It's already been an hour. Kenji and Aiko's match can already be considered as a long and tiring one. Fuji and Kazuya must be monsters for having such great stamina. They don't look tired at all.

Kazuya smashes the ball but Fuji is quick enough in anticipating the smash. He performs his famous Bear Drop in defence. Anticipating Fuji's famous technique, Kazuya runs to the back of the court to return the shot. And the match continues with plenty of shot exchanges before Fuji kills him off with a Swallow's Return.

"Set won by Fuji Syusuke. 5 games to 4."

"They are really strong," comments Aiko out loud, her eyes transfixed on the court. She is not the only one who thinks so. The roaring fans who are still there have suddenly gone silent. Like Aiko, they are probably awed by the brilliance of the two young players and can't seem to tear their eyes off the match.

"Kazuya is going to lose," says Ukita, who has been standing beside Aiko. "Why?" asks Aiko, a little shocked at Ukita's certainty. "He's on par with Fuji isn't he?" she asks curiously.

Kenji can't help but smirk at her naivety. "Don't you notice anything wrong about Kazuya?" asks Kenji suggestively. Aiko frowns and observes Kazuya. He is panting. Sure, but that's only natural seeing that they've played so many long rallies. Besides, his shots are still sharp, steady and consistent. So, any fatigue that he has doesn't't seem to reflect from the way he plays, really.

"Watch Kazuya as closely as you can," Ukita advises her.

Aiko watches as Kazuya drives a shot to Fuji's backhand. Fuji volleys the shot but Kazuya is quick on his feet. He sprints to the front of the court to slice the ball back to Fuji's backhand. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him. Aiko is about to voice out her qualms when a movement of Kazuya's suddenly catches her eye.

Kazuya is a right-hander. Right-handers are usually right-footed. So why is he utilizing his left foot more than his right foot?

In order to make sure that her observation is correct, Aiko keeps an eye on his footwork. Sure enough, Kazuya's footwork seems a bit messed up. It's as though he is trying to avoid using his right foot on purpose. That's when she notices him wincing each time he applies pressure to his right foot. Realisation hits her.

His ankle!

It's hurting again.

--


	24. Chapter 24: We Are Idiots

**Chapter 24: We****'****re All Idiots**

The sun is beginning to set.

It has been excruciatingly hot in the past few days but today is just one of those days whereby everything somehow seems rather peaceful. Yes, even the weather.

Back in Yamashita High School, the tennis courts which had been surrounded by a throng of supporters earlier have gone quiet. The crowd had dispersed about an hour ago, talking excitedly about the final match they had just witnessed.

However, the two adults who arranged it all are still in their offices, keying in the results of the week-long competition.

The tapping sound of the keyboard fills the room. Marina-sensei squints at the bright monitor screen as she types. Fujiwara-san sits on the reverse side of the chair, his arms crossed and rested upon the back of the chair, as he watches Marina-sensei type effortlessly.

A cigarette stub sticks out from his chapped lips.

Nobody says a word until now.

"Your son," says Marina-sensei, addressing the man behind her. "His ankle has healed, hasn't it?"

Fujiwara-san takes a long drag from his cigarette and removes it from his lips.

"Well, it's healed for a while now," he answers as he replaces the cigarette back to its original position.

"Hmm?" comes Marina-sensei's reply.

"So during the match, he was simply suffering from psychological trauma wasn't he?" Marina-sensei finally voices out the theory which had been bothering her a few hours ago.

She had been observing Kazuya very closely during the match. Kazuya had played very well at the beginning and he was neck and neck with Fuji. However, towards the end, he simply crumbled, losing 2 sets in a row to hand over the victory to Fuji.

He seemed rather pissed with himself after the match but remembered to congratulate Fuji on his win.

With that, Fuji Syusuke officially became the captain of the Yamashita High School tennis team. Kazuya was elected the Vice-captain.

"That boy…" says Fujiwara-san in his gruff voice.

"… is an idiot," he finishes.

Marina-sensei sighs inwardly.

She doesn't understand the complicated relationship between these two stubborn men.

She doesn't intend to either.

"When do you think he will recover from this?" asks Marina-sensei. "If this continues, it'll be difficult for him to go far in tennis. You are aware of that, right?"

Fujiwara-san takes another long drag from his cigarette and ponders.

"There's nothing we can do about it. It's up to him whether he wants to move his lazy bum or not," he concludes.

They stop speaking, and the sound of typing fills the room.

--

"There are some leftover porridge if you are still hungry!" Aiko's grandmother calls out from the kitchen below.

"Yes, granma!" Aiko replies loudly from her room.

Her hair still wet as she has just come out from the shower, she dries it with a towel, tosses the towel over her study chair and falls back onto her bed.

She stares at the blankness of the ceiling.

'_Fuji won,__'_she thinks to herself.

'_I won,__'_she thinks again and a smile curves across her face.

'_We both won,__'_ she thinks again, her smile still implanted on her face as her eyes begin to droop.

Pleasant dreams ahead.

--

Meanwhile, Ukita is on the phone. He has plucked up the courage to phone Hua Ying just to tell her about how he did in the competition. She listens patiently as he tells her about his matches and their outcomes.

Then, she congratulates him and hopes that he will work hard for the coming inter-district tournament.

"I'm looking forward to see how much you grow," she says sincerely.

Even without having to look at her, Ukita can imagine her soft smile and sparkly eyes.

He can't help but smile.

--

"Ooi! Takashi! Hand me the seaweed, will you?" says Kawamura-san as his expert hands mould the Japanese rice into shape.

The sushi restaurant is packed to the brim and the staff are kept busy the whole night. Apparently, there is a birthday celebration going on, which explains the crowd and the many orders.

Poor Kawamura simply cannot keep up with the orders. He actually dropped two plates of sushi and poured tea into the wasabi container by accident. His father understands that Kawamura is feeling very tired from the competition earlier but there is simply not enough hands to handle the mountainous orders.

Thankfully, time seems to pass pretty quickly when you're busy.

In an hour's time, the crowd who came for the birthday celebration disappeared and the store is left with the usual ordinary number of customers.

"You can go home now," says Kawamura-san to his son.

"Huh?" asks Kawamura blankly. "But there are still customers to serve."

"Don't worry, we can take it from here. Go home and get a rest," orders Kawamura-san.

Kawamura smiles.

"Thanks, dad."

--

"Ooi! Kenji! You're late!" a young man shouts as he waves his arm to a certain brown-haired man.

"Sorry about that," Kenji apologises as he approaches his friend. Kenji stifles a yawn with his left hand. His right hand clutches the handle of his black guitar bag. His friend smirks at Kenji knowingly. The studs on his nose and ears reflect the neon lights at the entrance of the pub where they are about to perform. His hair, dyed a shade of white is spiked to the usual rock and roll fashion. His other friend, standing beside him, looks more decent. He wears a pair of rimless spectacles and has ordinary black hair which is left uncombed.

"So, are you ready to rock and roll?" asks the white-haired man cheekily as he wraps an arm around the Kenji's neck.

Smiling confidently, Kenji replies, "Of course."

--

Kazuya sighs as he looks up at the stars from the roof of his house. His arms are folded behind his head, acting as a pillow. The cool night breeze brushes softly against his skin.

The roof of his house has always been his favourite thinking spot. This is where he used to come to every time he had lost a match. This is where he would reflect as to why he had lost and what he had done wrong.

This time, he knows very well of his mistake. He knows that his ankle has healed and that the pain he felt on court was psychological. Still, he doesn't know why he failed to control the pain during the match. He tried, oh, yes, he did. But somehow, the pain just got more and more excruciating as the match dragged on.

He reminisces to the time when he was still in middle school and junior high school. He used to be such a charismatic player. He feared nobody and everybody feared him. He trained twice as hard as everyone else, staying back to practice on his serves or jog 10 kilometres every morning to maintain his fitness.

However, the older he got, the more difficult it was to enjoy tennis.

People had plenty of expectations, some of which, were very difficult to fulfill.

They told him what to do and what not to do.

His coach never seemed satisfied with the way he played as he believed in the orthodox way of playing tennis. Fanciful shots should be kept to the minimum. However, that was what made the game fun for Kazuya in the first place.

His coach begged to differ and pressured him into following the orthodox way of playing tennis if he wanted to go far in the international stage. He gradually turned into a robot, an empty robot who played perfectly flawless shots but had no element of creativity nor originality.

He wanted to rebel against his coach but his coach was supposedly the best coach in Japan. He didn't want any trouble. His team mates distanced themselves from him as he was always getting all the attention.

Soon, young Kazuya became more and more bitter as he grew up and began to hate the game.

He used to beg his father to coach him but his father would have none of it.

"The biggest taboo in any sport is for a coach to coach his own son," his father used to say.

Kazuya never understood why his father held that sort of ridiculous principle. Often, he would curse his father. He blamed his misery on him. Why had he taught him tennis in the first place if he was never going to coach him or oversee his progress? Why would he coach his only son's rivals?

This accounted for the bitter relationship between the duo. Often, Kazuya would threaten to leave home for he could not take his father's stubbornness but it was for the sake of his dear mother that he remained.

"Please don't hate your father. He is a good man. He has his reasons and one day, I'm sure he'll tell you," his mother used to plead with him every time he got into a fight with his father.

Kazuya loved his mother and would never go against her. So, he listened to her.

After she died, Kazuya never threatened to leave home again, and Fujiwara-san stopped coaching for good. He picked up smoking again, and no longer picked a fight with Kazuya. They learned to get along and make do with each other although the gap between them is still present.

Kazuya inhales deeply and shuts his eyes.

This time.

This time, he'll get it right.

He'll make it to the top of the tennis world.

He'll do it on his own.

No more arrogant coach telling him what to do.

He'll make it through, his way.

--

Despite the fact that it is rather late, the ramen store near Yamashita High School still has a considerable number of customers.

Two of them happen to be sitting right at the corner, immersed in their conversation.

"So how's Seigaku's tennis team coming along?" asks Fuji as he takes a sip off his cup of green tea. He looks up at his long-time friend. The serious expression on his friend's face hardly ever seems to alter.

"You mean the junior high school team or the high school team?" asks Tezuka.

"Katsu ramen!" the young waitress announces in a cheery voice as she sets a bowl of steaming hot ramen in front of Tezuka.

Tezuka reaches for the pair of disposable chopsticks and snaps them neatly apart. "Itadakimasu," he says politely before dipping his chopsticks into the bowl.

"Both teams," Fuji replies. He watches as Tezuka pulls up a few long strings of ramen with his chopsticks before stuffing them into his mouth in the sort of dainty manner only people like Tezuka can accomplish.

"Well," Tezuka begins as he wipes his mouth with a piece of tissue. "I heard that Echizen has been rather cruel to the juniors," he says. Fuji can only imagine what sort of torture that sad boy is capable of inflicting on the poor juniors. Echizen can be pretty inhumane at times. Thankfully, Inui is no longer there to add on to the misery. His astounding juices could send his poor victims to hell and back.

"Mm?" comes Fuji's reply. "Doesn't Momoshiro or Kaidoh have a say to what he does? They are joint captains after all."

Sure enough. Before the 3rd years left Seigaku, there had been a lot of buzz as to who would become the next buchou. Naturally, everybody thought that it would come down to Momoshiro and Kaidoh. Some of the first-years did want Echizen to be the captain but Ryuzaki-sensei would not allow it.

Kaidoh and Momoshiro picked fights with one another a lot more frequently than usual for the whole month as both insisted that they would be better as captain.

In the end, out of sheer frustration, Ryuzaki-sensei appointed all three regulars as captains. Echizen became captain of the first-years, much to his dismay while Momoshiro and Kaidoh became joint captains for the senior team.

Obviously, none of them were very pleased with the arrangement, including the ordinary members of the team, for this allowed for more arguments between Kaidoh and Momoshiro.

Just recently, Echizen was promoted to senior captain, a temporary post which would enable him to be the captain of the team which would participate in the inter-district tournament. Obviously, both Momoshiro and Kaidoh were outraged upon having a younger 'gakI' becoming captain. Still, none of them could defeat Ryuzaki-sensei's rage.

What a mess.

"Momoshiro and Kaidoh," Tezuka begins.

"Are idiots," he finishes, as though that explains everything there is that needs explaining.

Fuji chuckles.

"So what about your team?" asks Fuji, this time a little more seriously.

Seigaku High School will be a team to look out for in the coming inter-district tournament and Fuji clearly understands that Tezuka and him are fighting on different grounds now. Tezuka has always been his rival, and now, he is an even bigger rival to him than before.

After all, both of them are captains of different rival teams.

More importantly, both of them want to win.

"It's coming along fine," Tezuka replies. "And yours?" he inquires mostly out of politeness.

Fuji smiles his usual mysterious smile.

"It's coming along fine, as well."

--

All six of the Yamashita High School tennis team members seem to have their own goals, dreams and things to worry about.

However, you do remember that the team consists of seven members right?

Well, it's not that I want to leave Jirou out on purpose but there's just nothing going on with him, really.

If you must know, he's doing what he loves best:

Sleeping.

--

**Note: **I am very very sorry about the error I made earlier whereby I posted this together with some reference notes I usually use to continue on with the story. . I posted this in a hurry so I didn't check properly. Thanks a lot for the comments and I'll try my best to update though I've been really busy lately. . Haha. Thanks! )


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